Storm Leaves More than 1 Million Without Power in Northeast US

2018-03-05

More than 1 million people remain without power across northeastern United States Sunday as work crews raced to repair the damage caused by a powerful storm two days earlier.

Skies were clear Sunday over much off the Northeast hit by the storm, which was blamed for nine deaths, including two children struck by trees. But many communities faced major challenges restoring power and cleaning up debris.

Tens of thousands of utility workers were working over the weekend after the storm — known as a "bomb cyclone" for undergoing a rapid pressure drop — battered neighborhoods from Virginia to Maine.

Snow showers and coastal flooding were expected in parts of upstate New York and New England on Sunday as another, much weaker storm arrives.

As of mid-afternoon Sunday, more than 180,000 people remained without power in Massachusetts. More than 230,000 were powerless in Pennsylvania, and large-scale outages also continued in New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland.

In New Jersey, officials said some areas might not have their electricity restored until Tuesday or Wednesday.

The Coast Guard warned of navigational hazards off Oregon Inlet in North Carolina's Outer Banks after high winds and heavy seas swept about 70 containers off the cargo ship Maersk Shanghai late Saturday. The Liberian-registered ship had departed from Norfolk, Virginia, earlier in the day.

Source: Voice of America