Dozens die as historic frigid blast knocks out power in Texas

NEW YORK: A deadly winter weather system that brought record-busting cold to the southern and central United States, knocking out power for millions in oil-rich Texas, pushed up the East Coast Thursday as heavy snowfall and icy buildups disrupted coronavirus vaccinations.

The historic frigid blast has over the past week seen Arctic cold envelope a US heartland unfamiliar with such extremes, leaving dozens of dead in its wake and nearly seven million Texans told to boil water before consuming it.

More than 30 storm-related deaths have been reported by US media since the cold weather arrived last week, many in traffic accidents. Houston police said a woman and a girl died from carbon monoxide poisoning after sitting in a car in a garage with the engine running to keep warm.

And emergency medical authorities around Texas said dozens of others have been treated for suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, while 77 were treated for hypothermia in northern Texas on Tuesday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said a “major” winter storm would impact an area stretching from Virginia up to the Northeast, bringing “treacherous” travel conditions. Snow fell steadily across New York City throughout the morning, forcing the cancelation of hundreds of flights and delaying the opening of two Covid-19 vaccination sites after the storm disrupted dosage delivery.

Forecasters predicted up to five inches (13 centimeters) of snow for the Big Apple, which has already been blanketed by the white stuff twice this winter during two separate storms.A weather warning was in effect in New Jersey, where Governor Phil Murphy announced the temporary closure of several vaccination sites.

Across Texas, which has been hardest hit by the cold snap, utility companies were gradually restoring power though more than 500,000 homes and businesses remained without electricity.

David Hernandez, 38, spent the night at a Houston church with other people who had fled their homes. “My car got stranded and I was trying to sleep in the car but it was just too cold,” Hernandez said. “Liquids in my car were actually turning to ice so it was like sleeping in an ice box.”I had to come here,” he said. “There´s no choice.” Texas authorities have opened about 300 emergency “warming centers” across the state.

Compounding the misery, thousands of Houston residents were suffering from both power outages and a loss of water pressure. Nearly seven million Texans were being advised to boil their water before drinking it or using it for cooking, said Toby Baker, who heads the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, adding that nearly 264,000 people were impacted by non-operational water systems.

Even though the Arctic air mass was beginning to loosen its grip in Texas and elsewhere in the south, the NWS said frigid temperatures would continue. President Joe Biden ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts in Oklahoma after officials declare an emergency in the state.