The Arctic storm that hit the United States and Canada over the Christmas weekend caused at least 38 deaths: many directly or indirectly linked to the storm that kept more than half a million people without electricity and recorded temperatures up to – 40th.
In the US there were 34 victims, while four Canadians aggravated the toll after a bus overturned due to a skid on an icy road in the town of Merritt, in the western province of British Columbia.
The area most affected by the aftermath of the storm was that of Buffalo, in northwestern New York state, in the Great Lakes region. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said the latter-day storm “will go down in history as the most devastating storm in the city’s history.”
At least 12 people died in Erie county, of which Buffalo is the capital: the authorities explained that some of these were found lifeless in their cars or trapped in the snow.
The storm caused the cancellation of hundreds of flights, the ice created various problems for energy infrastructure, causing a real emergency: the electricity companies of many states asked citizens to save energy, in Tennessee short blackouts were rotation to reduce consumption.
Between Friday and Saturday about 1.7 million people were left without electricity, but yesterday the service was restored in much of the country.
But the inconveniences do not end here: according to the National Weather Service, the national meteorological service, in the North-East of the country and in the Midwest the temperatures will continue to be particularly rigid, generating ice on the roads and consequent inconvenience in travel.
#Polar #storm #United #States #Canada #dead #electrical #failures #canceled #flights