New York declares state of emergency to deal with freezing storm

• Weather A powerful winter storm wreaks havoc in the United States

The state of

declared a state of emergency this Friday, before the passage of the icy storm that affects a large part of the country and that the

(NWS) has classified as "once in a generation."

New York has already begun to feel the effects of this storm, with flooding in coastal areas requiring some New Yorkers to be rescued and

without power in the state.

"We have had

and everything that Mother Nature could hit us this weekend," a holiday on which Christmas is celebrated, said Governor

who assured that it is a dangerous situation for the entire condition.

He urged residents

"I know there is a strong desire to be with your loved ones right now, but the lives of your loved ones and yourselves come first," she said.

He explained that after the rain (with the low temperature)

, for snowplows and equipment to put salt on the roads.

"That creates incredibly dangerous conditions," she said, warning that "the roads are going to be like an ice skating rink," particularly for areas in the north of the state.

The great freezing storm that is affecting much of the United States has left millions of people without electricity and thousands without being able to travel by plane on Christmas Eve.

More than

power in the country, according to the PowerOutage.us website, which monitors the electrical network, while flight cancellations already exceed 4,500 this Friday, FlightAware collects.

Some 200 million people, 60% of the country's population, are in areas where severe winter storms are occurring or will occur, according to the national weather service, the National Weather Service (NWS).

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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