More than 40 people have died and nearly 300,000 households remained without power after a severe winter storm hit large parts of the United States, according to poweroutage.us. Residents from Nashville, Michigan, Brooklyn and north-eastern Pennsylvania described prolonged blackouts, frozen pipes and heavy snowfall—up to 27 inches in some areas. Emergency fuel deliveries, damaged homes and closed roads added to the disruption, while neighbors and officials pitched in with quiet acts of help. Authorities urged continued caution as communities work to recover.
Survivors Describe Deadly US Winter Storm: Power Outages, Frozen Pipes and 27-Inch Snows
Community members gather to push a truck out of a snow pile following a major snow storm in Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday.Photograph: Jon Cherry/Getty Images(Photograph: Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
More than 40 people have died after a powerful winter storm swept across large parts of the United States, forcing school closures, canceling flights and leaving nearly 300,000 households without power, according to poweroutage.us. Residents from Nashville to Michigan, Brooklyn and north-eastern Pennsylvania shared first-hand accounts of damage, disruption and unexpected acts of help.
Blackouts, Falling Trees and Frozen Homes
Meghan, 25, a music-business manager living in Nashville, described the eerie silence and the sound of trees cracking under ice. Her power went out at about 5 a.m. on Sunday and returned around 6 p.m. that evening. She spent part of the outage sitting in her car to keep warm and charge her phone.
“I’ve genuinely never seen anything like this before. I woke up on Sunday morning to my power being out and the sound of ice-covered trees cracking and branches falling… All I heard for most of the day was the sound of the trees falling.” — Meghan, Nashville
Many residents reported downed branches crushing vehicles and building gutters pulled loose by the weight of ice. With roads impassable in places, some were confined to their homes for days.
Winterized Home Found Frozen
Linda, 70, who recently moved to eastern Michigan, found the rural house she and her husband were selling badly damaged despite precautions. They had left the heat on and added RV antifreeze to fixtures, but when they arrived a high wind had forced a side door open.
“The temperature in the house was 28°F (-2°C). The propane was empty, the geothermal unit outlet was completely frozen shut, there was ice in the toilets even with the antifreeze, and we could already tell that we had at least one frozen and broken water pipe.” — Linda, Michigan
The couple spent an unexpected night at their former home, purchased emergency fuel at roughly three times the normal cost and warmed the property gradually using portable heaters. They shut off the water and plan to return when the house is fully thawed to assess damage and any burst pipes.
Small Acts, Narrow Escapes
In Brooklyn, Eric, 52, saw New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, stop to help shovel out a stranded vehicle during the worst of the storm. Eric said there was no press present and the mayor left quietly after lending a hand.
In north-eastern Pennsylvania, digital artist GH Hovagimyan, 75, recounted a frightening skid at an intersection that left his car stuck in a snowdrift. Two workers from a fuel-delivery company arrived shortly afterward and dug his vehicle out—an example of neighbors and local workers helping each other through hazardous conditions.
Wider Impact
Officials and residents reported heavy, sustained snowfall in some regions—about 27 inches in parts of north-eastern Pennsylvania—while freezing rain and ice caused widespread tree damage and extended power outages. Many communities described one storm after another, making recovery slower and more difficult.
Authorities continue to warn people to take precautions: avoid travel where possible, check on elderly neighbors, and prepare for prolonged outages by securing heating fuel, charged devices and emergency supplies.
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