Ice Storm Cuts Power To 1.25M
1 Reported Dead In NH
The ice storm is over in much of the Northeast, but its effects linger on.
More than 1.25 million homes and businesses are without power, from Maine to Pennsylvania.
Ice Creates Problems In Mass.
States of emergency have been declared in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, where schools are closed and travel disrupted.
The storm brought rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow through Thursday night. In some areas, that miserable mix is continuing Friday.
New Hampshire officials reported at least one person had died as a result of the ice storm.
A 49-year-old Danville man who lived in a camper died of carbon monoxide poisoning after turning on his generator when his power went out Thursday night.
Fire departments have been responding to reports of transformer explosions, utility poles and wires down, and trees falling on homes. Crews have been so busy dealing with safety hazards like live power lines they haven't been immediately able to begin restoration efforts.
Authorities said it could take days for all customers to get service fully restored.
Farther south, parts of Louisiana and Mississippi are shaking off a layer of snow, a rare occurrence in sections of the Gulf Coast states. Forecasters there are warning that freezing temperatures could make for treacherous driving conditions.
As much as 8 inches of snow fell in Louisiana. People across the state called their friends, grabbed their cameras and headed outside this morning to document a rare sight of snow.
The last snowfall in the New Orleans area was on Christmas Day in 2004. Before that, 1989 was the last significant snowfall. The sight is so rare that many children were seeing snow for the first time, and adults were seeing it for the first time in years.
TV station WDSU reported the snowfall triggered crashes on major highways and left thousands without power and left schools, government offices and bridges were closed.
But some northward neighbors like Paul Cook from Ohio, took it all in stride.
"This is nothing," Cook said. "It's like a walk in the park."
The snow gave everyone the feeling of a kid free on a snow day. One Jefferson Parish businessman said, "I'm hoping the boss here will give us the day off so we can go build snowmen."
