Winter storm Harper left tens of thousands of customers without power. Aside from power outages, the storm has left at least six people dead after fatal accidents and thousands of wrecks resulting in various injuries.
The storm took the lives of at least six people in four different states including the life of a utility subcontractor. The contractor had just finished repairing a power line when a tree fell on him – resulting in his death.
In Kansas, a Department of Transportation worker was killed. The worker was performing snow removal operations in Johnson County when their vehicle rolled over. The driver was thrown from the vehicle during the accident.
The storm also caused two deaths in Missouri and California as it made its way across the country.
Motor vehicles aren’t the only transportation means that had issues with the storm. A United Airlines jetliner slid off the runway on Saturday morning. Flight 656 from Phoenix to Chicago slid off the landing area into a grassy area.
There were no injuries. Another slide-off occurred on Friday when a Southwest Airliner went off the runway at Eppley Airfield during a freezing drizzle.
More than 2,000 flights were canceled due to the storm along with hundreds of flight delays. On top of airline delays and cancellations, Amtrak trains also modified schedules and had many travel cancellations due to Winter Storm Harper.
Tens of thousands of homes and businesses lost power due to the storm. Some customers are still waiting for their power to be restored as utility workers are overloaded. The widespread outages are the result of many factors including ice buildup on power lines and trees falling on power lines.
In Connecticut, over 10,000 customers are still without power according to PowerOutage.us. The site is also still showing outages in California, Utah, Texas and New York as of Monday afternoon.
Being prepared for potential outages can not only keep you more comfortable but save money as well! Be prepared with an emergency generator to stay warm, avoid food loss and pipe freezing! Check out our article on how to choose the right generator for you and safety tips for generator operation.
