Winter Storm Cripples Nation With Power Outages and Flight Cancellations

A massive winter storm sweeping across two-thirds of the United States has left more than 800,000 Americans without electricity and triggered the cancellation of over 10,000 flights, grinding travel and commerce to a halt and prompting a swift federal response from President Donald Trump.

Blizzard conditions, freezing rain, and historic low temperatures are being reported from New Mexico to the Mid-Atlantic, creating chaos across the South and into the heavily populated Northeast. The National Weather Service warned of “crippling to locally catastrophic impacts,” particularly in parts of the Southeast unaccustomed to sustained winter storms.

In response, President Trump preemptively approved federal disaster declarations for a wide swath of the country, including South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Kentucky, and several others.

“We will continue to monitor, and stay in touch with all States in the path of this storm. Stay Safe, and Stay Warm,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Key developments:

• Over 800,000 homes and businesses are without power, with Tennessee alone accounting for 300,000 outages.

• Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and North Carolina each reported over 100,000 power losses.

• Airlines canceled 10,100+ flights on Sunday alone, with more expected as conditions deteriorate.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urged Americans to take the storm seriously and prepare.

“It’s going to be very, very cold,” she warned. “Stock up on fuel, stock up on food, and we will get through this together.”

The Department of Energy issued emergency orders to allow grid operators in Texas and the Mid-Atlantic to override environmental restrictions to deploy all available resources and avoid rolling blackouts. Dominion Energy, which powers major tech infrastructure in Virginia, said this storm could rival the most destructive ice events in its history.

Air travel has been devastated.

• Delta rerouted staff from northern hubs to southern cities to help with de-icing and baggage.

• JetBlue canceled 1,000 flights through Monday.

• United and other carriers proactively canceled flights in key storm zones.

As the arctic blast pushes into the Great Plains, forecasters predict record-breaking wind chills and sub-zero lows into the coming week.

While the Biden administration largely avoided long-term grid investment and ignored early warnings from experts, Trump’s swift action demonstrates what competent federal leadership looks like in a national emergency. Rather than waiting for systems to collapse, the Trump team mobilized early, empowered local and state response teams, and ensured DHS, DOE, and FEMA were in motion before disaster struck.

The contrast in leadership couldn’t be clearer.

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