A winter storm hits the country and leaves several hundred thousand American homes without power on Wednesday.
By Le Figaro with AFP
Published update
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A winter storm on the northeast coast of the United States and flooding in the west of the country left several hundred thousand American homes without power on Wednesday and disrupted public services, while rain and snow are still awaited.
According to the specialized site PowerOutage, nearly 200,000 homes and businesses are without electricity in the western state of California, and as many are affected in five northeastern states, from regions of New York to Boston.
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impassable roads
On the Atlantic coast, heavy snowfall and wind also caused trees to fall on the roads, making them impassable, local weather services said. “Our teams are working tirelessly to restore power to everyone“, more “the snow outside is very thickNew Hampshire State Emergency and Safety Services warned on Facebook. The authorities have repeatedly called for caution, especially against the risk of injury or heart attack for residents who shovel snow.
In another state, that of Massachusetts, several school districts maintained school closures on Wednesday, such as in Berkshire County where up to 71 cm of snow fell. “Additional snowfall of 7cm to 20cm is expected over parts of New York State and New England through Wednesday“, Indicates in its last bulletin Wednesday morning the national weather service (NWS).
Evacuation orders
On the other side of the country, California woke up on Wednesday to scattered flooding, the consequences of torrential rains that fell on the most populous state in the country, with 39 million inhabitants. “The atmospheric river will continue to impact California through Wednesday. This powerful storm is expected to produce heavy snowfall in the mountains and gusty winds from the Sierra to the central and northern Rockies“, warns the NWS.
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This “atmospheric riveris a gigantic rain corridor that transports water vapor stored in the tropics, often around Hawaii, and which caused a particularly rainy winter on the West Coast. Since this weekend, houses have been flooded and vehicles submerged after the flood of the Pajaro river, which created a breach in a dyke overnight from Friday to Saturday and caused the evacuation of thousands of people south of San Francisco. Evacuation orders have also been issued in downstate Santa Barbara County, including parts of the upscale coastal enclave of Montecito, where Prince Harry and his wife Meghan notably live.
