INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Snow Storm Punishes Midwest And East Coast, Brings Life And Death Conditions

By Nick Younker
Published on: 10:16 PST, Jan 22, 2016

A snow storm of monstrous proportions has been wreaking havoc all across the Midwest and the East Coast. Although the damage has already been done in many places, there is still more to come, especially for big major metros like Washington, D.C. and New York City.

According to CNN, there are approximately 85 million people in the path of this massive snow storm and the blizzard has already been blamed for some fatalities. Although official counts have not been disclosed at this time, there is reason to believe that some people and locations have succumbed to the snow storm.

A storm like this is not uncommon, but popped up on the radar fairly quickly. Just like with any winter in the Midwest and East Coast, there is always the possibility that a storm like this could occur. With snow and ice, there are many hazardous conditions that can lead to major injuries and fatalities if people are not prepared and careful.

One of the major areas that people have to be especially careful is traveling. For those that can stay in their homes and wait the snow storm out, that is perhaps the best thing that you can do. Driving under snow and icy conditions can cause a motorist to veer off the roadway. Driving at high speeds on snow covered roads is perhaps the most dangerous activity a motorist can do. It is not always the acceleration that gets people hurt, but rather their inability to stop, especially when oncoming traffic is a factor.

Airlines have already started canceling flights due to the snow storm, if they hadn’t already. United Airlines has actually suspended all of their flights in and out of the D.C. metro area, which also includes the Dulles location.

There has also been a report that United Flight 374 did not have an easy landing at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. The flight, which arrived from San Francisco today, reportedly rolled off the runway. There have been no injuries reported and there is no reason to believe there will be, but the snow storm was a major factor in the incident.

The massive snow storm has already dumped blizzard like conditions all over the Midwest, but is also picking up steam and when the entire snow storm moves all the way through the Washington, D.C. area, it will likely leave the region with 18- to 21-inches of snow on the ground. That also includes Baltimore, Maryland, as announced by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

Another extremely hazardous condition that people face when a snow storm blankets their area is the loss of heat in their home. At the time of this article’s writing, there is already an estimated 72,000 homes without power in the Carolinas.

This could be a hazardous and even deadly situation for people who are stuck without heat in their home to stay warm during the snow storm. Temperatures during a snow event like this can reach single digits and there are very few people that can survive that.

To really sum up the potential devastation this snow storm may cause, officials in the Washington, D.C. area have warned their people that this storm could come with “life and death implications.”

With 85 million people in its path as the snow storm heads north up the coastline, ABC News reports that major metros like NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, and all of New England need to be prepared to wait out the blizzard. It is best if you do not travel and have an emergency plan in place should the power be knocked out. The key thing to remember in a storm like this is that staying warm is the key to survival.

Residents should make plans to join a community outreach center should their functional heating units become inoperable due to power loss or any other elements that are caused by the snow storm.

[Photo by Kayana Szymczak/Getty Images]

Share this article: Snow Storm Punishes Midwest And East Coast, Brings Life And Death Conditions
baltimore New York City
More from Inquisitr