Historic Winter Storm Leaves 13 Dead, 1M Power Outages, Thousands of Flights Canceled
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The storm & Its Impact:
* Widespread Disruption: A major winter storm is impacting a large portion of the eastern third of the United States, from the Southern Plains to New England.
* Flight Cancellations: Thousands of flights have been canceled. Around 11,000 flights were canceled on Sunday alone – the most since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. reagan National Airport (D.C.) was completely closed on Sunday. LaGuardia (NYC) has reopened but won’t have flights until Monday morning.
* Snowfall Amounts: Up to 20 inches of snow is expected in new England, with some areas (like Boston) possibly seeing more. Several states have already received over a foot of snow. Specific locations with high snowfall: Bonito Lake, NM (31 inches), Crested Butte, CO (23 inches), Clintonville, PA (20 inches).
* Extreme Cold: Bitterly cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills are expected to follow the storm, causing prolonged hazardous travel and infrastructure issues.
* State of Emergency: 17 states and the District of Columbia have declared weather emergencies.
* Fatalities: At least 13 deaths are potentially connected to the storm.
Government response:
* Federal Disaster Declarations: President Trump approved federal disaster declarations for several states: South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia.
* DHS Warning: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem urged people to stay home if possible.
Other Notable Points:
* Panic Buying: People are reportedly panic buying supplies in preparation for the storm.
* Potential hazards: The storm could become especially dangerous as snow turns to ice, potentially impacting roads and power lines.