Three killed, millions without power as snowstorm hits U.S. northeast

[News_Editor]

Three killed, millions without power as snowstorm hits U.S. northeast

2011-10-30 11:34:49 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO News) -- At least three people were killed when a rare October snowstorm slammed the U.S. northeast on Saturday, leaving some 2.5 million people without power, officials said.

The most severe snowfall was reported in Massachusetts where the National Weather Service (NWS) recorded as much as 23.0 inches (58.4 centimeters) of snow since early Friday morning. Heavy snowfall was also seen in New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and several other states.

As of early Sunday morning, utilities across Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia reported about 2.5 million customers being without power. Officials warned the number could rise as the weather is expected to continue into Sunday.

At least three people were believed to have been killed as a result of the severe weather. In southeastern Pennsylvania, an 84-year-old Springfield man was killed when he got out of his car and touched a wooden guard rail which was electrified by downed power lines, WWLP-TV reported.

In Massachusetts, a 20-year-old man was killed in Springfield when he was electrocuted by a downed power line. And in Colchester, Connecticut, one person was killed in a traffic accident blamed on a slippery road.

The extreme early season winter storm prompted the governors of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut to declare a state of emergency in the hardest hit counties.

In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in thirteen counties. "With serious snowfall and wind sweeping through parts of New York, the state of emergency declaration will help deploy state resources to communities that have been hit the hardest by this storm," he said. "We are communicating with local governments to coordinate our response efforts and we will mobilize resources as needed to areas experiencing the most severe conditions. I urge New Yorkers to have safety as their top priority and avoid driving on icy roads or during heavy snowfall."

In New Jersey, where the storm has been blamed for more than 60 accidents, Governor Chris Christie declared a statewide state of emergency and urged New Jerseyans to stay off of the roadways until conditions improve.

"As we move through the worst part of this storm, I am urging all New Jerseyans to avoid unnecessary risks in severe weather like this and stay off the roadways tonight, while also issuing a state of emergency to marshal all resources of government to effectively respond," Christie said. "With this declaration, we are taking immediate steps to ensure that state, local and county governments have every tool at their disposal to manage and respond to conditions on the ground, emergency operations plans are activated, and that every part of government is positioned to assist and protect the public through this storm."

In Connecticut, Governor Dannel Malloy also declared a state of emergency and called on people to stay inside. He also signed an order banning non-emergency vehicles on the Wilbur Cross and Merritt Parkways due to dangerous driving conditions.

"The storm is causing treacherous driving conditions down along the Merritt Parkway particularly, as well as on roadways across the state," Malloy said. "I am urging residents to stay off the roads and let [Department of Transportation (DOT)] crews get out there and get the streets clear. On the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways no one should be on the roads except emergency crews. People should stay inside at this point, we are seeing heavy snow start to impact power as well as driving."

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-10-30

[chuckd]

Wonder how the OWS squatters managed?

[Scott]

They showed them on Television. They seemed to be doing quite well.

[mccw]

"state of emergency"