Europe 1 with AFP 8:53 a.m., December 25, 2022, modified at 8:55 a.m., December 25, 2022
Christmas weekend is turned upside down for millions of Americans as they battle a severe winter storm, accompanied by extreme temperatures, that has rendered many roads impassable, caused the cancellation of thousands of flights and claimed the lives of at least 17 people.
Christmas weekend is turned upside down for millions of Americans as they battle a severe winter storm, accompanied by extreme temperatures, that has rendered many roads impassable, caused the cancellation of thousands of flights and claimed the lives of at least 17 people.
Cold poses a deadly risk
About 530,000 homes were still without power on Saturday around 10:00 p.m. GMT (against up to 1.5 million the day before), according to the Poweroutage.us site, particularly in North Carolina and Maine, where temperatures were largely negative.
The US National Weather Service (NWS) warned that the cold posed a deadly risk and urged Americans in affected areas to stay indoors.
Friday, because of the wind, the temperature felt fell to -48°C, according to the same source.
In hard-hit northeast New York, Governor Kathy Hochul deployed the National Guard to Erie County and Buffalo, the state's main city, where officials said the emergency services are almost paralyzed.
More than 3,300 flights canceled
The situation is particularly impressive in Buffalo, located on the other side of the border with Canada.
A couple from this lakeside town told AFP that the roads being impassable, they will not make the ten-minute journey necessary to visit their family over Christmas.
"We can currently see across the street, but last night we couldn't even see beyond our porch," said Rebecca Bortolin, 40.
Her fiancé Ali Lawson suffers from back pain but prefers to stay at home rather than take the risk of driving to the hospital.
Since Wednesday evening, a winter storm, one of the most violent in decades, has been battering the country, the accompanying polar winds causing heavy snowfall, especially in the Great Lakes region.
More than 3,300 flights were canceled on Saturday and more than 7,500 delayed.
The day before, nearly 6,000 flights had been canceled, according to the monitoring site Flightaware.com.
17 dead across eight states
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Twitter on Saturday that "the most extreme disruptions are behind us, with airlines and airports gradually resuming operations" - words clung to by travelers stranded at airports such as Atlanta , Chicago, Denver, Detroit and New York, hoping for a Christmas miracle.
Zack Cuyler, 35, is forced to spend New Year's Eve with friends in New York, after two cancellations of his flight to Houston this week, where he was to reunite with his family.
Even if he is "quite overwhelmed", he should be able to join his loved ones in the middle of the day on Sunday, Christmas Day.
"What I'm grateful for," he told AFP.
In total, authorities have confirmed at least 17 deaths, across eight states, due to the weather.