Devendra Kumar
A powerful storm was sweeping across the US, bringing high winds and heavy rain to the North East, wild winter weather to the Midwest and South, and flood threats to Florida. In Maine, Governor Janet Mills delayed the opening of all state offices until noon on Wednesday due to the storm. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency and New York City officials evacuated nearly 2,000 migrants housed at a sprawling tent complex ahead of predicted wind speeds that could top 70mph.
In the South, at least three reported tornadoes touched down, causing damage and injury. In Alabama, 81-year-old Charlotte Paschal was killed when her mobile home was tossed from its foundation, and a man died when a tree fell on his car in Jonesboro. In North Carolina, one person died and two others were in critical condition after a suspected tornado struck a mobile home park. A possible tornado also knocked down several old brick storefronts in downtown Bamberg, South Carolina, blocking the main intersection.
In Florida, thousands of bricks blocked a main road after a possible tornado tore through a section of Panama City Beach, and a house appeared tilted on its side, leaning on another home. The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee planned to send out teams to examine suspected tornado damage in several counties. Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order to include 49 counties in North Florida under a state of emergency due to flood concerns.
Meanwhile, another storm was burying cities across the Midwest in snow, stranding people on roads. Some areas saw up to a foot of snow, including Kansas, eastern Nebraska, and South Dakota. An SUV driver died in a head-on collision with a semitrailer on a slushy, snowy state highway in southeastern Wisconsin, and a 35-year-old woman died after losing control of her minivan on a slushy road in western Michigan.
The weather has already affected campaigning for Iowa’s January 15th precinct caucuses, where the snow is expected to be followed by frigid temperatures that could drift below zero degrees.