Hurricane wreaks havoc in eastern US, thousands of flights canceled
America: Two people have died due to sudden hailstorm and heavy storm in America. Additionally, thousands of US flights were canceled. The local Meteorological Department has also issued an alert regarding this and asked people to be alert. Due to the weather calamity, electricity has been lost in the homes of more than 10 lakh people.
National Weather Service Greater D.C. issued a tornado watch for the area, which will continue through 9 p.m. A special weather service statement warned, “Damaging and locally destructive thunderstorms remain a significant threat, as well as the potential for large hail and a strong tornado.”
Large-scale storm and tornado warnings were in place for 10 states from Tennessee to New York. The National Weather Service said more than 20 million people had been affected by the tornadoes Monday afternoon. However, as a warning was issued, there was not much damage.
In Florence, Alabama, police said a 28-year-old man was struck by lightning and died. In addition, a 15-year-old boy was killed when a tree fell on him as he got out of his car.
As of Monday night, more than 2,600 US flights were canceled and nearly 7,900 are delayed, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. Several flights were canceled at Field-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration said it was rerouting planes around storms headed for the East Coast.
The White House has pushed back President Joe Biden’s departure for a four-day trip by 90 minutes. The White House also canceled a back-to-school cybersecurity event that was scheduled to be attended by First Lady Jill Biden, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorcas and school administrators, teachers and education technology providers from across the country.
“This is one of the most impressive severe weather events in the Mid-Atlantic that we’ve seen in quite some time,” Chris Strong, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said in a Facebook Live briefing.
The storm was expected to hit major populated areas in the late afternoon and evening, sending federal workers home early so they wouldn’t be stuck in their cars amid the wind, hail and tornado. Strong advised residents, “Put yourself in a strong shelter. Stay home or stay at work.”
As of evening, more than one million people were without power in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia, according to PowerOutage. News outlets reported that trees and power lines were downed in several states.
