Rabat – A massive winter storm caused the deaths of at least 22 people in the United States due to car crashes and exposure to the cold, and shut down power for hundreds of thousands across the country.
The “bomb cyclone” storm has forced the cancellation of thousands of flights, at a time of year during which hundreds of thousands would be looking to travel for the holidays.
Two people in the state of New York died in their homes as emergency services could not get to them in time due to the extreme weather, officials reported.
The storm is nearly unprecedented in scope, stretching from near the Canada border to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico.
According to power tracking website PowerOutage.us, close to 300,000 homes across the country don’t have access to electricity, with the State of Maine alone registering more than 88,000 homes with no power.
This is not the first time that the US faces power outages and similar problems from extreme weather conditions. Energy experts have sounded the alarm over what they see as an aging power grid, with some states having previously experienced massive outages during the winter.
Energy companies have also been urging customers to limit their consumption and conserve energy by not running large and unneeded appliances. Experts are expecting even more power outages in the country as climate change worsens in the coming years.
