Three Dead As Storm Gail Blasts US East Coast (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Three people were killed in car crashes on Wednesday evening as a powerful nor'easter rolled across the US’ East Coast bringing up to two feet of snow and creating treacherous conditions on thousands of miles of roadways.
More than 60 million people were placed under weather warnings before Winter Storm Gail began blanketing areas from northern Virginia to New York City to southern Maine with powder as governors around the region urged residents to stay safe indoors.
Two people died in a pile-up involving dozens of vehicles on Interstate 80 in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, state police said.
A 19-year-old man from North Carolina, Brannagan Locklear, was also killed in a car crash in Virginia, according to authorities. A spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police said the agency had responded to about 200 calls about collisions by 3pm.
In the Big Apple, which is set to see its heaviest December snowfall in a decade with 12 inches forecast, road conditions deteriorated rapidly over the course of the afternoon before the FDNY reported a crash involving 20 cars on the Henry Hudson Parkway in the Bronx at about 6.30pm.
At least six people were reportedly injured in that collision, as first responders worked to free others who were 'pinned' in their vehicles.
'Take this seriously,' Mayor Bill de Blasio warned in a tweet hours before the Bronx crash as he announced that New York City Schools would be closed for in person learning Thursday.
More than 57,200 homes and businesses in Virginia were without power as of 10pm, per poweroutage.us, along with another 11,600 in New Jersey.
Some hospitals said they were anticipating delays in COVID-19 vaccine shipments as the roads worsened through Wednesday night. Weather conditions also prompted several major cities, including New York, Baltimore and Hartford to suspend COVID-19 testing until further notice, while hospitals around the region, already struggling with surges in virus patients, pushed back elective surgeries to make room for storm-related admissions.
There are warnings in place from northern Georgia to New England, with forecasters predicting snow, ice, school closures and power outages across the country.
National Weather Service said the heaviest snowfall is forecast across central Pennsylvania, which could see up to two feet of snow. 'This will likely lead to very dangerous, if not impossible, travel conditions and isolated power outages', the agency added.
More than 1,300 flights have already been canceled and train operator Amtrak has been forced to modify its service. Several airlines, including American, Delta, Southwest and United, said they are waiving change fees for flights that might be affected as well.
