7 dead, power outage hits US as 24 states declare weather emergency

No fewer than 24 states, including Washington DC, have declared states of emergency due to the freezing conditions in the United States.

States of emergency were declared in Washington DC, Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Hundreds of “extreme cold” weather warnings are in place across much of southern United States, with hundreds more winter storm warnings and cold weather advisories across the central and eastern US.

Seven people have been confirmed dead, while hundreds of thousands of homes are without power, as a winter storm hits the US from north to south.

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The storm has brought snow, sleet and freezing rain to the eastern part of the country, with National Weather Service warnings reaching from Texas in the south to New England in the north-east.

Nearly half of US states have declared emergencies and more than 800,000 customers are without power on Monday morning, according to BBC.

At least two people died of hypothermia in Louisiana, and other deaths linked to the storm have been reported in Texas, Tennessee, and Kansas.

Schools across the country have cancelled classes and thousands of flights have been cancelled.

The Star