Winter Storm Leaves Hundreds of Thousands Without Power Across Southern US

Widespread Power Outages

• 🥶 Hundreds of thousands of customers are without power due to a massive winter storm that moved through the southern United States.
• ❄️ The storm brought brutal cold, with about 220 million people under alerts for extremely low temperatures from Texas to Florida and New York.

Impact on Tennessee

• 🏘️ In hard-hit Tennessee, particularly Nashville, warming centers have been opened, and the National Guard is on standby to assist residents.
• ⚡ Downed trees and ice have caused significant damage, taking out power lines and leading to fires in some instances.

Challenges in Texas and Louisiana

• 🚗 Volunteers in Texas are providing essential services like food delivery and welfare checks, while also identifying dangerous black ice on rural roads.
• 🧊 Travel in Louisiana remains treacherous, with significant traffic delays reported on Interstate 20, where one truck driver moved less than half a mile in 8 hours.
• 🆘 State police and the National Guard are assisting stranded drivers and advising the public to avoid icy roads.

Air Travel Disruptions

• ✈️ The winter storm has severely impacted air travel, with American Airlines experiencing its most disruptive event in its 100-year history, canceling over 9,000 flights.