Millions of U.S. residents are affected by an unprecedented weather storm that has left at least 15 dead as it continues to batter cities across the U.S.
According to breaking news updates on CNN, 1.6 million homes and businesses are without power as of Christmas Eve, and 15 people have died since Wednesday across four states due to the life-threatening blizzard conditions.
As of 11:50 a.m. EST, more than 1.6 million homes and businesses had no electricity service, according to PowerOutage.us, leaving millions without proper heating or hot water as frigid temperatures persist Saturday.
Mykal McEldowney/AP
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said that four people died in car crashes in Ohio after a 46-car pileup on the Ohio Turnpike. In a tweet, the Ohio State Highway Patrol also confirmed that authorities responded to the collision amid “white-out conditions” that left dozens of vehicles, including 15 commercial trucks, crumpled on the icy interstate.
Two people died Friday night in Erie County, New York, in two separate incidents where medical personnel could not make it to homes in time for reported medical emergencies.
On Friday, the Tennessee Department of Health also confirmed one storm-related fatality with the exact cause unknown. Wisconsin State Patrol reported a fate crash Thursday due to the severe winter weather.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said the state had had three reported deaths caused by the store, including car crashes and an unhoused person in Louisville found outside.
“Remember your loved ones care more about having you alive and that next Christmas than whether you can make this one,” Beshear told CNN Friday.
“People need to stay off the roads. … Being together is more important than ever, but staying safe is even more important than that,” Beshear added.
“If you do lose power, it is going to be dangerously cold,” said Jackie Bray, the commissioner of New York’s Homeland Security and Emergency Services, adding people should seek warming shelters provided by some counties. “Please don’t assume you can weather this cold overnight without heat. You may not be able to.”
