Politics

A severe winter storm in the United States has left over 1 million customers without power and caused the cancellation of more than 10,000 flights on Sunday. This storm affected eastern and southern states, bringing heavy snow and ice as far west as New Mexico. By 2:16 p.m. on Sunday, more than 1 million people were reported to be without electricity, as per PowerOutage.us. Among the hardest hit states were Tennessee with at least 330,000 outages, and over 100,000 each in Mississippi and Louisiana. Other states impacted include Texas, Kentucky, Georgia, West Virginia, and Alabama. According to the flight tracking service FlightAware, over 10,800 flights scheduled for Sunday were canceled, following more than 4,000 cancellations on Saturday. Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington reported that all flights were canceled on Sunday. FlightAware data showed that more than 80 percent of flights were canceled at major airports in cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Delta Air Lines announced that it would operate on a limited schedule, depending on ongoing weather conditions. The airline had already made changes to its Saturday schedule, leading to more cancellations in the morning for cities like Atlanta, Boston, and New York City, while sending staff from colder areas to assist with de-icing and baggage handling at southern airports. The National Weather Service predicts heavy snowfall across the Ohio Valley to the Northeast, with areas in New England expecting up to 18 inches. The Southeast and parts of the Mid-Atlantic are likely to experience rain and freezing rain. Forecasters warned of "bitterly cold temperatures and dangerously cold wind chills" from the southern plains to the Northeast, which could result in dangerous travel and impacts on infrastructure. On Saturday, President Donald Trump declared a federal emergency for several states, including South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia, referring to the storm as "historic." Seventeen states and the District of Columbia declared weather emergencies on the same day, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Officials warned that power lines could be at high risk due to the accumulating ice. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem noted on "Fox News Sunday Briefing" that the cold weather could keep the ice on power lines for an extended period, posing a risk even if lines do not fall immediately. The Department of Energy issued an emergency order allowing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to use backup power resources at major facilities to prevent blackouts. On Sunday, the DOE also authorized the grid operator PJM Interconnection in the mid-Atlantic to operate specific resources without being limited by state laws or environmental permits. U.S. electric grid operators took extra steps on Saturday to prevent rolling blackouts. Dominion Energy,...