A strong storm on the East Coast has left, as of now, three people dead and more than 600,000 without electricity. The most affected area is Maine, where a man died after a tree fell on him. Additionally, in the state, the number of homes that reported problems with electricity stood at 429,000, according to data provided by PowerOutage.us.
The second hardest hit state was Massachusetts. An 89-year-old man also died there after another tree fell on him, trapping him in a trailer, according to the Plymouth County Prosecutor's Office:
Tree Falls On Trailer In Hanover Killing Man Inside pic.twitter.com/nn6JA1Ryj5
— DA Tim Cruz (@PlymouthCtyDAO) December 18, 2023
Power outages were also a problem in Massachusetts. According to data provided by PowerOutage.us, a total of 133,000 customers reported being without power during the storm in the state. Hundreds of people in places like Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York were also without power.
The third death was recorded in Greene County in New York. There, a driver died after his vehicle hydroplaned and crashed, according to the Greene County Sheriff's Office.
New York issues a travel alert due to storm
In New York City, things aren't much better. Social media was filled with images of the storm, and Mayor Eric Adams issued a travel advisory, recommending New Yorkers avoid driving and instead use public transportation to ease traffic.
As the forecast for this evening’s weather intensifies, our city agencies are hard at work, making sure we can handle anything the storm throws at us. But we need your help, too. Before the storm starts, secure any loose outdoors items, clear your catch basins if it’s safe, and if you live in a low-lying or poor drainage area, make sure you have a plan for if it floods. Once the storm starts, stay off the roads, so our emergency vehicles can get wherever they need to go. If you have to go out, use mass transit. And sign up for Notify NYC, to make sure you have the most up-to-date information you need to stay safe.
The National Weather Service warned that residents across the region will continue to face dangerous road conditions due to "heavy rain, flooding and strong winds," per ABC News. In fact, the state agency said, in some places the amount of accumulated rainfall was up to 6 inches.
This is an animation of the anomalously deep cyclone that has brought heavy rain, severe weather, and up to 60+ mph wind gusts up and down the East Coast over the past couple of days. WPC is issuing Storm Summaries for this event at https://t.co/9LGn1JpvK8 pic.twitter.com/exGUQnOgb0
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) December 18, 2023
