Deadly storm blankets eastern US in snow
NEW YORK: A deadly winter weather system that brought record-busting cold to the southern and central United States, knocking out power for millions in oil-rich Texas, blanketed the East Coast in snow Thursday, disrupting coronavirus vaccinations.
The historic frigid blast has over the past week seen Arctic cold envelope much of the US sun belt unfamiliar with such extremes, leaving dozens of dead in its wake and several million Texans told to boil water before consuming it.
On Thursday, a major winter storm impacted an area stretching from Virginia up to the Northeast, bringing icy buildups and treacherous travel conditions, according to the National Weather Service.
Snow fell steadily across New York City throughout the day, forcing the cancelation of about 200 flights and delaying the opening of two Covid-19 vaccination sites after the storm disrupted dosage delivery.
By 4.50pm (2150 GMT), meteorologists had recorded more than ten centimetres of snow in lower Manhattan.
The Big Apple has already been blanketed by the white stuff twice this winter during two separate storms.
“The occasional snowstorm is always good but as we’re getting closer to March it gets a little tiring. I’m ready for it to start being warm again,” said 18-yearold student Kara Dickson.
A weather warning was in effect in New Jersey, where Governor Phil Murphy announced the temporary closure of several vaccination sites.
Across Texas, which has been hardest hit by the cold snap, utility companies were gradually restoring power though more than 250,000 homes and businesses remained without electricity late Thursday, according to PowerOutage.us.
Even as the lights came back on, some Texas residents were dealing with the misery of water pipes that had burst in the frigid temperatures.
“It was like a waterfall was coming down and it was starting to come out of the bathroom and to the other rooms,” said Birgit Kamps of Houston.
“We grabbed buckets and towels, tried to mop it up before it started flooding the house,” she said, adding that a neighbour helped switch off the water at the break, leaving her without running water.
Water pressure problems meant nearly seven million Texans were being advised to boil their water before drinking it or using for cooking, said Toby Baker, who heads the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, adding that nearly 264,000 people were impacted by non-operational water systems.
Texas power companies implemented rolling blackouts to avoid grids being overloaded as residents cranked up the heat.
The surge in demand came as generating capacity dropped thanks to power stations and wind turbines freezing.
Texas authorities opened about 300 emergency ‘warming centers’ across the state.
President Joe Biden spoke Thursday evening with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, pledging that the federal government would work ‘hand-in-hand’ with state authorities to offer relief, the White House said.