On January 25, a major winter storm swept through the US, causing more than 230,000 households to lose power and forcing airlines to cancel thousands of flights.
Interruptions have appeared from western regions such as Texas and threatened to paralyze many states in the east due to heavy snowfall, ice rain and dangerous temperature drops.
Meteorological agencies predict snow, snow, ice and cold will cover 2/3 of US territory on January 25 and last until next week. President Donald Trump called these storms "historic" and has approved a state of emergency in many states, including South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana and West Virginia.
Mr. Trump said the federal government will continue to closely monitor developments and call on people to stay safe and warm.
The US Department of Homeland Security said 17 states and the Special Administrative Region of Columbia have declared a state of emergency on weather.
Minister Kristi Noem confirmed that tens of thousands of people in southern states have lost power, and electricity repair teams are making efforts to restore power supply as soon as possible.
Updated data shows that most power outages are concentrated in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee and New Mexico.
Faced with the risk of widespread power outages, the US Department of Energy has issued an emergency order allowing power grid operators to deploy backup power sources in Texas and the Central Atlantic region, in order to limit rote power cuts.
The National Weather Service warns that large amounts of ice accumulated in the southeast of the country could have the impact of "paralyzing the local disaster", while the Greater Delta region faces the risk of record cold and dangerous cold winds.
Aviation traffic was seriously affected. More than 4,000 flights expected on the day were canceled, along with over 9,400 other flights canceled for the next day.
Major airlines warn passengers to closely monitor the situation, and at the same time adjust flight schedules and increase ice and snow prevention personnel at many airports.
Power grids and airlines are raising their vigilance to minimize damage as the storm continues to penetrate deeper into the mainland.
Minister Kristi Noem called on people to prepare necessities, fuel and food, emphasizing that the weather will be "very, very cold" in the coming days.
