Deaths reported after winter storms hit multiple areas of US

(NewsNation) — Multiple deaths and widespread power outages have been reported as major winter storms hit areas across the United States.

The National Weather Service said on its website Wednesday morning there was a major winter storm in the West and river flooding across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, along with blizzard conditions in western Alaska. 

Flood concerns in the Northeast are being blamed on Winter Storm Finn, the Weather Channel reported, which started numerous tornadoes in the south Tuesday. Winter Storm Gerri is expected to take a similar “frustrating” track, per the Weather Channel.

In Connecticut, the city of Norwich issued a mandatory evacuation order of all areas along the Yantic River from the Bozrah town line to the area of Backus Hospital after flooding because of dam conditions. The hospital itself was not evacuated, and a local middle school served as a shelter, according to the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

Streets and roads were flooded and rivers were rising in New Jersey after some areas got up to three inches of rain since Tuesday night. Some train lines in New York City had service knocked out because of the storm, and a highway in the Bronx was flooded, upending thousands of commuters Wednesday morning, the Associated Press wrote. Parts of Long Islands’ southern shore were inundated by coastal flooding and several schools had to either cancel or delay classes. 

Meanwhile, northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine were seeing heavy snow, and in the South, roofs were blown off homes and debris was strewn about during the height of severe weather. Several areas of Florida are under flood watches, warnings or advisories as there are concerns over streams and rivers topping their banks.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order to include 49 counties in North Florida under a state of emergency. The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee planned to send out three tornado survey teams on Wednesday to examine suspected tornado damage in Walton, Bay and Jackson counties in Florida. Two more tornado survey teams will go to Houston County, Alabama and Calhoun County, Georgia on Thursday.

Several people have reportedly died because of the storms. One 81-year-old Alabama woman was killed after her mobile home was tossed from its foundation by a suspected tornado, the Associated Press said, while another person died in North Carolina, also from a suspected tornado striking a mobile home park. 

A tree fell on a man’s car south of Atlanta, killing him, and in the Midwest, slushy highways led to the deaths of two men in Wisconsin and Michigan following separate collisions. 

Meanwhile, thousands of people were under power outages as of Wednesday evening, according to a website that tracks them. 

This story is developing. Refresh for updates.