US Winter Storms
- Disaster Relief
- Apr 4, 2021
- 2 min read
Two winter storms called Uri and Viola hit the United States in mid-February 2021. The southern states are not accustomed to cold temperatures, snow, and ice, so these storms caused power outages, water shortages, vehicular accidents, and even deaths in those areas. Winter Storm Uri hit first, it began on the Pacific Coast, travelled through Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, then made its way to the east of the United States. A few days later Winter Storm Viola hit and followed a similar path.
Temperatures plunged to single digits and many states received several inches of snow. Communities in the southeastern states were impacted the most because their infrastructure and homes were not made to withstand days of freezing temperatures. The loss of homes in entirety was minimal, but many experienced extreme damage due to broken pipes. Millions of people lost power and water across the United States and Mexico after the full day of the historic snowfall.
Homes were not the only thing affected by the storms, stores, hospitals, and schools were also heavily impacted. About 100 school systems closed, delayed opening or switched to remote classes. Hospitals across the south scrambled to care for the patients. A hospital in Anahuac, Texas, had to resort to backup generators and use water from a 275 gallon storage tank which they refilled 3 times using water from a swimming pool. Grocery stores struggled to keep their shelves stocked with bottled water. Walmart closed more than 500 of their stores for the safety of their employees and customers. Restaurants had to shut down. More than 2,700 U.S. flights were canceled. A backlog of about 6 million doses was created because some vaccination centers closed and some vaccines got stranded in shipping hubs. Roads were icy and the bad conditions even caused a 130 car pile-up on a highway near Fort Worth, Texas, which left 6 people dead and over 60 people injured. In total, approximately 82 people died due to these devastating winter storms. The cause of death for many people was hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning, car crashes, or fires. As of March 11, some areas still have not recovered and still do not have their power and/or water restored.
Charities and ways to help:
Sources:
https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disaster/2021-winter-storms/ https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2021-02-21/tennessee-races-to-repair-broken-water-mains-in-storms-wake
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