Ice Storm Blamed for 11 Deaths, 550,000 Lose Power

[Purveyor]

Source: ABC Radio News

(NEW YORK) -- A massive winter storm rolled over the South Wednesday, leaving hundreds of thousands without power, streets gridlocked with abandoned cars, and at least 11 dead before barreling into the Northeast.

The streets of Raleigh, N.C., were jammed with abandoned cars as the ice storm moved in swiftly, crippling traffic. It was reminiscent of the scene in Atlanta during the last ice storm, which stranded motorists on icy streets and highways. In Atlanta Wednesday, streets were virtually empty.

The storm is being blamed for at least 11 deaths across the South and the cancellation of 3,300 airline flights, officials said.

More than 555,000 homes and businesses were without power, with the hardest hit in South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina.

Read more: http://www.wlsam.com/common/more.php?m=58&ts=1392271502&article=7D18C070946E11E3B51EFEFDADE6840A&mode=2

[giftedgirl77]

1. we are in one of those bad areas....

In our county of 52;000+ over 36,000 of us are without power. The trees are dropping like crazy now & there are huge flashes of light all over the place.

[notemason]

2. Best wishes to you!

In northeast SC here, fortunate to still have power. Sending Warm Wishes.

[Herself]

5. Dark Corner SC here, still have power, knock on wood! n/t

[giftedgirl77]

6. Thank you.

Good luck, hope everything goes ok for u.

[loudsue]

3. I'm really sorry, giftedgirl. I'm in rural NC, and as of 2:01 a.m. our power is still on.

Our power goes out, normally, if there is a wind above 5 mpm, so I'm completely amazed we still have light/heat. The snow here turned to ice about 7 or 8:00 pm, and we've got about 5 inches of snow, with an ice crust on top.

I hope you guys are ok through the night. It's supposed to warm up Friday, if you can hold on that long.

[giftedgirl77]

7. We have a gas fireplace thankfully. Trees are coming

down left & right but at least we'll be warm.

Good luck & stay safe.

[Skittles]

4. please, please stay safe giftedgal

take NO unnecessary risks

[giftedgirl77]

8. Thanks Skittles...

[RebelOne]

10. I am in North Georgia just northwest of Atlanta.

The metro-Atlanta are came through the storm without major problems, but some areas lost power and a few downed trees. Fortunately, I never lost power. Our roads were not clogged like the last storm a few weeks ago. People have learned their lesson and stayed off the roads when they knew the storm was coming, plus better management from the governor's office.

After these two storms, I do not ever want to see another snowflake. We normally don't get snow that covers the whole state just in some areas and it never sticks around long. But we have enough here to almost equal our blizzard of 1993

[notemason]

9. Update from northeast SC

Blue skies breaking out. Made it thru without losing power; gave a shout to Blue Ridge Electric before the storm and they kept the train on the tracks so here's another shout.
Side note: snow must be for lovers; if you're alone in the mountains you feel so isolated.

[jakeXT]

11. Winter's Price Tag Is $15 Billion and Counting

A succession of winter storms that have walloped large swaths of the country since December have taken a $15 billion bite out of U.S. businesses so far, according to one estimate, and the season has weeks still to go.

In the short run, the impact of softer retail sales, property and crop damage and lost productivity at work is likely many times that amount. But since much of the hit will be offset by a pickup in sales and production later this year once temperatures rise, the lasting impact on the $16 trillion economy will be minimal, say economists.

“If the first quarter takes a little hit there’s going to be some bounce back to make up for it in the second quarter,” said Chris Christopher, an economist who tracks consumer spending IHS Global Insight. “For the year as a whole this should not have much of an impact.”

Car dealers, for example, have taken a big hit as severe winter weather kept potential buyers away from showrooms. Last month, sales of vehicles and parts dropped 2.1 percent, or roughly $1.7 billion, according to data release by the government Thursday.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/deep-freeze/winters-price-tag-15-billion-counting-n29781