The storm “Elliot” that hit almost the entire United States in the middle of the Christmas holidays caused at least 22 deaths, the North American authorities announced today.
The storm, generated by an arctic air front, began to slow down this Sunday after causing sub-zero temperatures from Canada to Texas in its path, as well as heavy snowfall and strong winds that affected the electrical system and aviation.
As of this morning, some 200,000 homes and offices were still without power and nearly 3,000 flights were cancelled.
At least seven people died in the Buffalo area (New York State), a city that “closed” due to snow and whose airport will remain closed at least until Monday.
The dead were found in vehicles, homes and on the street, Erie County officials said.
“There are people trapped in their cars for more than two days and others in houses where the temperatures are freezing,” said Mark Poloncarz, quoted by the French agency AFP.
“This is not the Christmas we wanted,” he said.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned during a press conference today that the entire state continues to face freezing weather.
“These low temperatures are life-threatening, which is why New Yorkers must remain at home today,” Hochul requested, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
Four other people were killed in a pile-up on an Ohio freeway involving about 50 vehicles.
There were also fatalities from accidents or cold weather in Kansas, Missouri, Vermont, Colorado and Wisconsin, according to local news outlets, bringing the storm’s death toll to 22.
At least 200 million people in the United States, 60% of the population, have been under some form of weather alert, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
In several cities on the East Coast and even in Florida, the thermometers reach minimums that have not been seen since Christmas 1983.
The storm moved slowly eastward today as it weakened, though temperatures remained freezing and below normal in the eastern, central, and southern parts of the country.
“Conditions are expected to slowly improve as the system weakens. However, travel in these conditions will be extremely dangerous” in some areas, the NWS warned in a statement.
More than 3,000 flights were canceled this morning, according to the FlightAware website.
5,800 flights were canceled on Friday, leaving thousands unable to reunite with their families on Christmas Eve.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said more than 20% of scheduled flights were cancelled, as were many Amtrak trains.
As the storm abated, power was being restored to areas where electrical infrastructure had been affected by snowfall.
Source: TSF
