Cold, chaos and death in storm
A major winter storm yesterday spread misery from the deep south, where ice-covered tree limbs snapped and a tornado claimed a life, to the nation’s northeastern tip where snow and ice made travel treacherous.
More than 30 centimetres of snow fell in parts of Pennsylvania, New York and New England, but there were bigger worries about roads and pavements freezing as temperatures plummet and the snow blows out to sea.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned residents to stay home if possible to avoid icecoated roadways and the threat of falling tree limbs in the Hudson Valley and Capital regions.
‘‘We’re not out of the danger zone yet,’’ Hochul said. ‘‘The weather is wildly unpredictable.’’
About 350,000 homes and businesses were in the dark in an area stretching from Texas to Ohio. Additional power outages were reported in New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
One of the hardest-hit paces was Memphis, where more than 120,000 customers were without power in Shelby County alone.
Memphis resident Michael
LaRosa described cracking and banging as the tree limbs fell, and the dull hum and pop of transformers blowing out in his neighbourhood. A fire started at the end of his street, caused by a live wire.
‘‘It was pretty surreal for a little while,’’ said LaRosa, a professor at Rhodes College and a book editor. ‘‘There were people walking in the streets, and I was worried that limbs were going to fall on them. The neighbourhood sort of collapsed pretty quickly and pretty spectacularly.’’
Robert Knecht, Memphis’ public works director, said crews were working 16-hour shifts to clear 225 downed trees on city streets.
In Oklahoma, police in the
Tulsa suburb of Broken Arrow said they were investigating a hitand-run crash that killed a 12-year-old boy who was struck while sledding.
Tragedy also struck western Alabama, where a tornado killed one person and critically injured three.
Airlines cancelled about 3400 flights and slippery roads caused numerous crashes.
In New England, some places welcomed the winter weather, which was a boon for skiers and snowmobilers.
In Vermont, no one was complaining at the Stowe Mountain Resort where skiers and snowboarders reported some of the best conditions of the season.