More than 50 people have already died in North America
Terrible blizzard drowns drivers
The number of people affected by the cold wave in the United States continues to rise. More than 30 people have died as a result of the severe winter storm, US media reported on Sunday. The country is in chaos, with people trapped in their homes and vehicles.
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Blizzard Elliott hit the US with full force.
Arctic Storm “Elliott” brought Christmas to many people in extreme conditions. Across the country, the winter storm killed more than 50 people, according to ABC News. Rescuers and officials expected the death toll to rise further. A severe winter storm swept across the United States over the Christmas weekend, wreaking havoc across much of the country. Temperatures were in the double digit minus range in many areas.
Temperatures were in the double digit minus range in many areas. With freezing winds and heavy snowfall, conditions will be life-threatening in some places, especially in the region, around the Great Lakes in the northeastern United States, and along the Canadian border. Electricity was cut off in lakhs of homes.
The storm hit Buffalo with its full force, located on the shores of Lake Erie in the state of New York, USA. The so-called “bomb blizzard” created conditions on the roads in which drivers could lose their orientation due to extremely low visibility. Many people were trapped in their homes and vehicles. At times the police and fire brigade were unable to respond to emergency calls.
The exact number of victims is still unclear
According to the New York Times and the Washington Post, the number of victims in the hard-hit Buffalo area alone has risen to twelve. The oldest of the victims was 93 and the youngest was 26. Erie County Executive Mark Polancarz said the dead were found in homes and on the street.
Heavy snow and hurricane-force winds have caused so-called whiteout conditions on roads in the Midwest, where drivers can lose their bearings due to extremely poor visibility. Ice-covered streets were seen on television. Cars and trucks slide across the road, crash into each other or run off the road.
Lakhs of homes were affected by power outages over the weekend. There were more than 1.6 million at times on Saturday, the “PowerOutage” website showed. The arctic cold also disrupted many travelers’ Christmas plans: More than 10,000 flights were canceled from Friday to Sunday, according to flight data website “FlightAware”. Chaos prevailed at several airports, with some temporarily closed.
A storm low is moving toward Canada
The impact of the cold season was felt as far as South America. The situation is critical for migrants along Mexico’s border as temperatures drop, many of whom are currently camping on the streets of border towns. Many of them are awaiting the lifting of a controversial deportation order that allows for speedy deportations in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. It actually expired last week. The US government had asked the US Supreme Court for a delay until after Christmas.
The storm had partially subsided in most states on Monday. According to the US Weather Service, the center of the cold front has shifted to northern, eastern Canada. (SDA/jwg)
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