The United States, Mexico, and Canada are grappling with severe snowstorms and freezing weather not seen for many years. After the USA and Canada, there were also deaths in Mexico due to the extreme cold. While the temperature dropped to minus 15 degrees in the northern and eastern regions of Mexico and the Valley of Mexico, it was reported that 3 people died due to cold weather since December 23.
THEY Flocked To The Markets
In the city of Buffalo, New York, which was most affected by the disaster, the snow thickness exceeded one meter, and vehicles were banned from traffic. Americans consumed basic food items in the markets for fear of heavy and long snowfall, the shelves of the markets were emptied. According to local sources, there were also looting incidents at a supermarket. Some residents of the city of Buffalo, stranded by the snowstorm, celebrated Christmas at the firehouses.
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ELECTRICITY
Millions of people in the USA were left without electricity due to the snowstorm. New York’s Erie County manager, Mark Poloncarz, said in a statement that 94 percent of the homes and businesses in the county were out of power, but there were still power cuts in 12,000 homes and businesses.
Expressing that they expect about 20 centimeters of snow during the day, Poloncarz said, “This is a terrible situation. This was not good as we tried to open and clear the streets and enter areas that have not yet been cleared.” said.
THE NUMBER OF DEAD IS INCREASING IN THE USA
While the air temperature dropped to minus 43 degrees in the USA and Canada, it was reported that at least 50 people in the USA and 4 people in Canada died due to extreme cold and traffic accidents.
On the other hand, according to the American NBC television, 55 people died in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
THOUSANDS OF FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS
The “deadly blizzard”, which expanded from the Great Lakes in Canada to the Rio Grande on the Mexican border, adversely affected nearly 60 percent of the US population. Flight tracking site FlightAware reported that nearly 13,000 flights have been canceled in the US in the last 4 days.
NATIONAL GUARDS ON DUTY
New York Governor Kathy Hochul described the winter storm as the most devastating storm in Buffalo history at a press conference.
Noting that hundreds of National Guard units have been deployed for rescue efforts in New York, Hochul said the state police have been involved in more than 500 rescue operations since yesterday, including the birth of a baby.
“ONCE IN A GENERATION, THE STRENGTH TO BE SEEN”
In the US, on December 21, national and local weather reporting agencies warned of “once-in-a-generation” severe cold and snow conditions.
The National Weather Service (NOAA) has announced that cold weather conditions that have not been experienced in the last 40 years are approaching in some parts of the country.
The weather service pointed out that “heavy snowfall could make travel very difficult or impossible and could be life-threatening.”
In addition, it was shared that the storm that will occur with the effect of cold weather will be equivalent to the pressure of the 3rd category hurricane in the Great Lakes region of the country on the Canadian border.
Due to the storm, the ground floors of some hospitals and businesses on New Jersey’s coastline overlooking Manhattan were flooded by the overflowing Hudson River, while many vehicles exposed to the flood were damaged.
The coastal areas of Queens and Brooklyn were also damaged by rising ocean waters, while waves brought by high winds rendered some coastal streets and habitats unusable. (AA-UAV)