At least 40 dead due to extreme weather in US

08:34, February 19, 2021

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  Extreme cold weather alert issued for Toronto

  People wearing face masks walk on a street in Toronto, Canada, Feb. 11, 2021. The City of Toronto issued an extreme cold weather alert on Thursday with the temperature expected to drop over the next 24 hours.

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  Crippling weather hampers US vaccine deliveries, distribution

  The icy blast across much of the U.S. injected more confusion and frustration into the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination drive Wednesday just when it was gathering speed, snarling vaccine deliveries and forcing the cancellation of countless shots around the country.An electronic message board advises drivers of potential congestion on the intersecting interstate as they drive south on Interstate 55 in north Jackson, Miss., Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, as light snow mixed with sleet, and rain continue to cover much of the state. (Photo: AP)Across a large swath of the nation, including Deep South states like Georgia and Alabama, the snowy, slippery weather either led to the closing of vaccination sites outright or held up the necessary shipments, with delays expected to continue for days.In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio said doses expected this week were delayed by weather elsewhere in the country, forcing the city to hold off making 30,000 to 35,000 vaccination appointments.One public health expert said the delays were unacceptable.“Having vaccine centers take snow days is just going to back things up more than they already are,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “The virus doesn’t take snow days.”Adalja said people in charge of vaccination efforts must find ways to be more resilient to weather, “just like mailmen can deliver the mail through sleet or snow.” He suggested clinics use better contingency plans. The goal, he said, must be “a continuous assembly line of vaccines going into people’s arms.”In Washington, White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said: "People are working as hard as they can, given the importance of getting the vaccines to the states and to providers, but there is an impact on deliveries.”He added that in places where vaccination sites are closed, like Texas, the government is encouraging sites to increase their hours once they are open.“We want to make sure that as we’ve lost some time in ...

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  Millions endure record cold without power; at least 20 dead

  A homeless man Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, sleeps at the Chicago Transit Authoritys Clark & Dearborn bus station, the morning after a snowstorm dumped up to 18 inches in the greater Chicago area. Photo: APA winter storm that left millions without power in record-breaking cold weather claimed more lives Tuesday, including three people found dead after a tornado hit a seaside town in North Carolina and four family members who perished in a Houston-area house fire while using a fireplace to stay warm.The storm that overwhelmed power grids and immobilized the Southern Plains carried heavy snow and freezing rain into New England and the Deep South and left behind painfully low temperatures. Wind-chill warnings extended from Canada into Mexico.In all, at least 20 deaths were reported. Other causes included car crashes and carbon monoxide poisoning. The weather also threatened to affect the nations COVID-19 vaccination effort. President Joe Biden’s administration said delays in vaccine shipments and deliveries were likely.North Carolinas Brunswick County had little notice of the dangerous weather, and a tornado warning was not issued until the storm was already on the ground.The National Weather Service was “very surprised how rapidly this storm intensified ... and at the time of night when most people are at home and in bed, it creates a very dangerous situation,” Emergency Services Director Ed Conrow said.In Chicago, a foot and a half (46 centimeters) of new snow forced public schools to cancel in-person classes for Tuesday. Hours earlier, along the normally balmy Gulf of Mexico, cross-country skiier Sam Fagg hit fresh powder on the beach in Galveston, Texas.The worst U.S. power outages were in Texas, affecting more than 2 million homes and businesses. More than 250,000 people also lost power across parts of Appalachia, and another 200,000 were without electricity following an ice storm in northwest Oregon, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility...