A massive and deadly blizzard has ravaged the East Coast, leaving at least eight dead and stranding thousands on the roads and in airports – with more near-record snowfall on the way, according to media reports.
According to The Weather Channel, up to 85 million people are in the path of the worsening winter weather that’s handicapped travel and business on the East Coast. In addition, 159,000 people are without power in 13 states, with 150,000 of those in the Carolinas.
Two people died in traffic accidents linked to the winter storm in North Carolina, on Friday, Jan. 22, said spokeswoman Olivia James of the State Emergency Response Team. Philly, on the other hand, has issued a code blue into Saturday evening. This means anyone who spots homeless people out in the cold should call the police, who will take them to a shelter. Ten states, including Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and West Virginia have declared a state of emergency as the storm is expected to supercharge as it goes into the Atlantic. Meanwhile, Washington D.C. has declared a “snow emergency.”
According to the numbers reported by Reuters:
– Eight people are dead nationwide.
– Six fatalities were in North Carolina, one in Virginia and one in Kentucky.
– 132,739 customers without power across the Southeast as of Friday, with 125,000 in the Carolinas, according to Duke Energy.
– 8,835 flights canceled from Friday through Sunday.
– 989 traffic crashes and 793 disabled vehicles responded to by Virginia State Police as of late Friday night.
– 18-40 inches. That’s how much snow some areas areas could receive, according to meteorologists.
– 55 mph wind gusts possible in Norfolk, Virginia.
In other words, this is a serious storm event with major life-and-death implications. So people should be treating it as such. Stay off the roads, stay inside, and stay warm. The only vehicles that should be on the road are plows and emergency response services.
