Over 200,000 without power in NC after snow storm
A massive snow storm has hit the south east, leaving over 200,000 people without power in North Carolina; Bryan Llenas has more.
A motorist in North Carolina was killed and about 310,000 were left without power after a powerful winter storm ripped through the Southeast over the weekend dropping a foot of snow in some areas, reports said.
Large swaths of North Carolina, southern West Virginia and Virginia remain under a winter storm warning, Reuters reported. The report said about two inches of snow is expected.
The massive storm was also blamed for the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
Police in North Carolina and Virginia said they’d responded to hundreds of snow-related traffic accidents as of Sunday afternoon, as cars, trucks and tractor-trailers all struggled with the snow and ice.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper strongly urged residents to stay off the roads Sunday, asking drivers not to put lives of first responders needlessly at risk. Cooper said emergency crews, including the National Guard, worked overnight to clear traffic accidents on major roadways.
Five members of a dive team searched the Neuse River in Kinston, North Carolina, for a missing truck driver Sunday after a tractor-trailer ran off a road and into the river, WRAL-TV reported. Police just outside of Charlotte said a driver died when a tree fell on a moving vehicle.
Officials warned residents to prepare emergency kits and stay off roads in impacted areas. Several schools districts in North Carolina and Virginia announced they’ll be closed Monday.
“Virginians should take all necessary precautions to ensure they are prepared for winter weather storm impacts,” said Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.
The Associated Press contributed to this report