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Tens of millions of people in the United States endure drastic temperatures, blizzard conditions, power outages, and travel and family reunion cancellations in the middle of Christmas Eve. 1.4 million Americans are without power and flight cancellations surpass 4,500 this Friday, Dec. 23, according to FlightAware.
Nearly 60 percent of the U.S. population is on winter weather alerts, as an estimated 200 million people are in areas where severe storms are experiencing or will soon occur, according to reports from the National Weather Service ( NWS).
From this Friday, the storm that some experts define “once in a generation, initially hit the central-west of the country, but began to spread to the east, north and south.
Meteorological authorities have warned that heavy snow will cover the Great Lakes region and the New England area, and that “significant rain” will pass through the northwestern United States in particular.
A day before this budget, on Thursday, December 22, US President Joe Biden spoke publicly about the situation and warned citizens to take the storm “extremely seriously”. Biden has asked that the authorities’ recommendations be followed to the letter.
Earlier, I gathered my team for a briefing on the extreme cold and storms we are seeing across America.
I urge everyone to heed the warnings of local officials – go to https://t.co/VsGFYDDJSt for more information. I am ready to help communities with whatever they need. pic.twitter.com/eLEi2VoF8b
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 22, 2022
Transport complications one day before Christmas
Several airports halted takeoff operations due to weather complications, a situation that stranded millions of Americans who planned to travel to their relatives’ homes for the December celebrations.
According to the Aviation Administration (FAA) website, three regional airports and one international (Michigan) airport are closed.
Transportation issues also affect train and bus companies like Greyhound, the largest of which has already warned that many routes in the Northeast or Midwest could be canceled or disrupted.
The authorities have announced the closure of several roads and the clashes have caused at least five victims.
One person was killed in a mass crash involving at least 50 vehicles on the Ohio Turnpike, and a Kansas City, Missouri, driver died Thursday after slipping into a creek. Three others were killed Wednesday in separate crashes on icy roads in northern Kansas.
With EFE, AP and local media.
