“The snow is falling. It will continue to fall until it stops falling.”
A massive winter storm has left more than 900,000 homes and businesses without power across the eastern two-thirds of the United States, with officials urging residents to stay warm and avoid the cold until conditions become less cold.
“This is a significant weather event,” National Weather Service director Ken Graham confirmed. “We are experiencing weather.”
The storm system has produced heavy snow, freezing rain, and ice accumulations from Texas to Maine, collapsing power lines, closing schools, and transforming roadways into what one state trooper described as “exactly what roads look like when covered in ice.”
Power Restoration Timeline
Utility companies said power could be restored within hours, days, or possibly longer, depending on when crews are able to restore power.
“We have all available personnel working on the situation,” a Duke Energy spokesperson said. “The situation will be resolved when it is resolved.”
Residents have been advised to check on elderly neighbors, avoid downed power lines, and consider the winter storm power outages a good opportunity to read a book or stare at a wall.
Emergency Preparations
Emergency management officials offered practical guidance for those affected by the storm.
“If you are cold, you should try to become warm,” FEMA administrator David Warnock said. “If you are unable to become warm, contact someone who can help you become warm.”
Warming centers have opened in affected areas. Officials said the centers are warm and that people who are cold could go there to be less cold.
Travel Disruptions
More than 2,400 flights have been canceled nationwide, with airlines urging passengers to check their flight status before traveling to airports where their flights have been canceled.
“We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the weather,” an airline spokesperson said. “We do not control the weather. We apologize anyway.”
State governors have declared emergencies in multiple states, allowing them to access emergency resources to address the emergency.
“We are treating this as the emergency it is,” one governor said. “An emergency.”
The National Weather Service said the storm would continue through Tuesday, after which it would stop continuing.
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