Flights cancelled, at least 2 dead as ice storm freezes US

Wintry weather brought ice to a wide swath of the United States on Tuesday, canceling more than 1,700 flights across the country and blocking highways. At least two people were killed on slippery roads in Texas and two law enforcement officers in the state were seriously injured, including an officer who was trapped under a truck, authorities said.

As the ice storm moved east on Tuesday, watches and warnings stretched from the West Heel of Texas to West Virginia. Several rounds of mixed precipitation, including freezing rain and sleet, were expected in many areas through Wednesday, meaning some regions could be hit multiple times, the federal Weather Prediction Center warned.

First responders rushed to respond to hundreds of car collisions in Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott urged people to stay off the roads.

Authorities said one person in Austin was killed in a pileup before dawn Tuesday. A 45-year-old man also died Monday night after his truck slid against a guardrail on a highway near Dallas in slippery conditions and rolled down an embankment, according to the Arlington Police Department.

More than 900 flights to or from the main US airport hub, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and more than 250 to or from Dallas Love Field were canceled or delayed Tuesday, according to the FlightAware tracking service. In Dallas-Fort Worth, more than 50% of Tuesday’s scheduled flights had been canceled by Tuesday afternoon.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines canceled more than 560 flights on Tuesday and delayed more than 350 more, FlightAware reported.

About 7,000 power outages were reported in Texas as of Tuesday morning, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said after a briefing in Austin on worsening conditions. He stressed that the outages were due to factors such as ice on power lines or downed trees, not the performance of the Texas power grid that collapsed for days during a deadly winter storm in 2021.

Fleets of emergency vehicles were deployed among 1,600 roads affected by the freeze.

In Texas, a sheriff’s deputy who stopped to help the driver of an 18-wheeler who ran off an icy road Tuesday was struck by a second truck that pinned him under one of its tires, according to the Sheriff’s Office. of Travis County. About 45 minutes after the crash on State Highway 130, the officer was freed from the wreckage and taken to a hospital, where he was undergoing surgery Tuesday afternoon, authorities said. The deputy is expected to survive, authorities said.

[Con información de The Associated Press]

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