US bomb cyclone: At least 28 dead and hundreds of thousands of homes without power in brutal storm | US News
At least 28 people have died in the US as the country battles a brutal winter storm.
The blizzard left almost 380,000 homes and businesses without power, with more than 200 million people under some form of weather warning as temperatures drop to well below freezing.
More than 3,000 flights were canceled on Saturday and some airports were closed.
Live Updates: Death toll rises as storm spreads
Four people died in a 46-car pileup on an icy road in Ohio. Image: Ohio State Highway Patrol
Warning for winds of 90mph and 20cm of snow
Icy road conditions prompted many authorities to warn against non-essential travel, and hundreds of people who did venture out found themselves stuck in their vehicles.
The fatalities included three people in traffic accidents in Kentucky and three more in Oklahoma, two of which occurred while the wind was blowing snow.
In Montana, the National Weather Service warned that the eastern slope of Glacier National Park and the nearby foothills and plains could see up to 8 inches of snow and winds of up to 90 mph.
Montana saw a temperature of -45.6C (-50F) earlier in the storm, while yesterday’s lowest temperature belonged to the remote town of Havre – also in Montana – which was -39C (38F).
In Maine, more than 125,000 properties were without power, and utility chiefs warned it could be days before power was restored, while some other states asked customers to cut back on usage to avoid continuous power outages.
More details:
In pictures: US caught in deep freeze as bomb cyclone hits
What is a bomb cyclone? An extreme winter storm hit the US
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One company told its 65 million customers in 13 states that power plants are struggling to operate under pressure from weather and extreme demand.
Another power company asked customers to lower their thermostats from 15.6C to 16.7C because a pipeline equipment failure temporarily reduced the gas coming from one of its suppliers by 30%.
Emergency shelters are being opened for those who are homeless or without electricity at home, and urgent work is being done to procure firewood for some Indian tribes living in isolated areas.
In Portland, Oregon, severe weather shelters gave people tarps and tents after the centers themselves closed due to bad weather.
More than 1,100 people sought warmth at the city’s five emergency shelters, officials said.
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‘I don’t know how they will survive’
‘One of the worst storms in history’
In Buffalo, New York, deep snow, freezing temperatures and power outages prompted people to seek out churches, police stations and anywhere else that might be warm.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said it took more than three hours for ambulances to make the one-way trip to the hospital, with roads still blocked by snow, abandoned cars and downed power lines.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the storm was “one of the worst on record,” and Timothy Carney of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office said, “It’s basically a Category 3 hurricane with a pile of snow.” past 24 hours.”
