President Donald Trump approved emergency funding for multiple states affected by this weekend’s severe winter storm, he announced on Saturday.
“I have just approved Emergency Declarations for Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia. We are working closely with FEMA, Governors, and State Emergency Management teams to ensure the safety of everybody,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Saturday afternoon.
That followed a post earlier in the day when he announced similar approval for the declarations by South Carolina and Virginia.
Why It Matters
An emergency declaration from the president triggers federal support to affected states through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The agency can deploy resources—including supplies, personnel, and equipment—before and during the storm.
Ahead of this week’s storm, the federal government placed nearly 30 search and rescue teams on standby and pre-positioned emergency supplies, including more than 7 million meals, 600,000 blankets and 300 generators, according to FEMA.
What to Know
Many states this week declared emergencies ahead of what’s been dubbed Winter Storm Fern, which has delivered heavy snow, ice, and sub-zero temperatures to many areas this weekend.
The storm has led to the cancellation of more than 9,000 flights across the U.S. this weekend, and to delays for thousands of others.
As the storm moves across the country, freezing rain slickened roads in parts of west Texas on Friday, including Lubbock, as temperatures dropped. Schools across Chicago and other Midwestern cities canceled classes Friday. In the South, churches announced they would move Sunday services online, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville said its Saturday night radio show would proceed without a live audience, and Carnival parades in Louisiana were canceled or rescheduled.
Forecasters expect heavy snowfall across the Northeast, with about a foot possible from Washington, D.C., through New York City and Boston, with the latter declaring a cold emergency through the weekend. Connecticut officials coordinated with New York and Massachusetts on possible travel restrictions along major highways, and Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont urged residents to stock up on groceries and stay home.
In New York City, the NYPD found three people dead across the city on Saturday, with investigators suspecting that cold weather played a role in each of the deaths, according to NBC New York.
The NYPD told Newsweek on Saturday that the three individuals—two in Brooklyn and one in Manhattan—had not yet been identified and that the official cause of death was yet to be determined.
What People Are Saying
The NWS Weather Prediction Center on X on Saturday afternoon: “Extremely cold temperatures will expand across the eastern 2/3 of the country this weekend, with very cold weather continuing through much of next week. Take precautions to prepare yourself and your pets for this life-threatening cold.”
What Happens Next
Forecasters warned the storm’s impacts could linger for days, urging residents across its path to prepare for extended cold, power outages and limited travel.
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