Chaos as icy storm hits US

WASHINGTON: Millions were left without power as a winter storm gripped the southern and central US on Tuesday with record-low temperatures in ill-prepared areas, and a tornado claiming three lives.

More than 20 storm-related deaths were registered, including in traffic accidents in Texas, Kentucky and Missouri, according to local media.

In hardest-hit Texas – where freezing conditions prompted utility companies to implement rotating blackouts – a woman and girl died from carbon monoxide poisoning after using a car to generate heat, according to NBC News.

In Houston on Monday, a homeless man was killed “possibly from exposure”, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Department, and the city’s police chief said another man had been found dead after potential exposure to low temperatures.

A man in Louisiana died when he hit his head after slipping on ice, and a 10-year-old Tennessee boy died after he and his six-year-old sister fell through the ice into a pond on Sunday.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday vowed to provide additional emergency resources for those affected by the “historic storm”.

He also thanked “road workers, highway patrol officers, and first responders who are taking swift action in horrific conditions to save lives”, according to a White House statement.

The winter storm spawned at least four tornadoes, including one in North Carolina that killed at least three people.