Winter storm disrupts travel, shuts schools as extreme cold grips US

Freezing rain fell in parts of Texas on Friday as a huge dayslong winter storm began a trek that threatened to bring snow sleet ice bonechilling temperatures and extensive power outages to about half the US population Forecasters warned that catastrophic damage especially in areas pounded by ice could rival that of a hurricaneSchools in Chicago and other Midwestern cities called off classes airlines cancelled thousands of weekend flights churches moved Sunday services online and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville Tennessee decided to hold its Saturday night radio performance without fans Carnival parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduledAt least 182 million people were under watches or warnings for ice and snow and more than 210 million were under cold weather advisories or warnings In many places those overlapped Utility companies braced for power outages because icecoated trees and power lines can keep falling long after a storm has passed Its going to be a big storm Maricela Resendiz said as she picked up chicken eggs and pizzas at a Dallas store to get her her 5yearold son and her boyfriend through the weekend Her plans Staying in just being out of the wayFreezing rain slickened roads in Lubbock Texas in the afternoon as temperatures dropped After sliding into the South the storm was expected to move into the Northeast dumping about a foot 30 centimetres of snow from Washington through New York and Boston the National Weather Service predictedArctic air was the first piece to fall in placeFrigid air that spilled down from Canada prompted the cancellations of classes at schools throughout the Midwest Wind chills as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit minus 40 Celsius meant that frostbite could set in within 10 minutes making it too dangerous to walk to school or wait for the busIn Bismarck North Dakota where the wind chill was minus 41 minus 41 Celsius Colin Cross cleaned out an empty unit for the apartment complex where he works Ive been here awhile and my brain stopped working said Cross bundled up in long johns two longsleeve shirts a jacket hat hood gloves and bootsDespite the bitter cold a protest over an immigration crackdown went on as planned in Minnesota with thousands demonstrating in downtown MinneapolisNationwide more than 1000 flights were delayed or cancelled Friday with well over half of them in Dallas according to the flight tracking website FlightAware About 2300 were called off for SaturdayIn Oklahoma Department of Transportation workers treated roads with salt brine the Highway Patrol cancelled troopers days off and National Guard units were activated to help stranded drivers The federal government put nearly 30 search and rescue teams on standby Officials had more than 7 million meals 600000 blankets and 300 generators placed throughout the area the storm was expected to cross according to the Federal Emergency Management AgencyPresident Donald Trump said via social media that his administration was coordinating with state and local officials and FEMA is fully prepared to respondIce could take down power lines and pipes could freezeAfter the storm passes it will take a while to thaw out Ice can add hundreds of pounds to power lines and branches and make them more susceptible to snapping especially if its windyIn at least 11 Southern states from Texas to Virginia a majority of homes are heated by electricity according to the US Census BureauA severe cold snap five years ago took down much of the power grid in Texas leaving millions without power for days and resulting in hundreds of deaths Gov Greg Abbott vowed that will not happen again and utility companies were bringing in thousands of employees to help keep the lights onIn Atlanta where temperatures could dip to 10 degrees minus 12 Celsius and stay below freezing for 36 hours M Cary amp Daughters Plumbing coowner Melissa Cary ordered all the pipe and repair supplies she could get She predicted that her daily calls could go from about 40 to several hundred Were out there we cant feel our fingers our toes were soaking wet Cary said I keep the hot chocolate and soup comingNortheast braces for possibly heaviest snow in yearsBoston declared a cold emergency through the weekend and Connecticut was working with neighbouring New York and Massachusetts in case travel restrictions are needed on major highwaysConnecticut Gov Ned Lamont urged people to go grocery shopping now and stay home on SundayPhiladelphia announced schools would be closed Monday Superintendent Tony B Watlington Sr told students Its also appropriate to have one or two very safe snowball fightsHunkering downWhittni Slater who has been sleeping in his car in Detroit got scared when he saw the weather forecast and searched for a place to stay On Thursday night he slept on one 80 cots set up in a gymnasium at the Pope Francis Center It was very welcoming very warm Slater said the next dayBut in Charleston West Virginia visitors and vendors at the threeday Hunting and Fishing Show were not too worried Ron Blymire was focused on selling South Africa safari trips and not on navigating the roads back home to Columbus Ohio I have a fourwheeldrive truck and as long as Im patient and take my time Im not concerned about getting stranded or stuck or anything like that he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever