USA: At Least 5 Dead After Powerful East Coast Storm

 

Several people have died after a powerful storm hit the East Coast, prompting widespread flooding and power outages. 

A 40-year-old man died in Maine after being hit by a piece of a tree while trying to clear his roof of debris, according to CNN and NBC News. The man, identified as Troy Olsen, was pronounced dead at the scene, Windham Police Chief Kevin Schofield said in a statement, per NBC News.

According to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, an 89-year-old man in Massachusetts died after a tree fell on a travel trailer he was in on Monday, the outlets reported. District Attorney Timothy Cruz said the man suffered severe head trauma and was taken to a hospital, where he died, according to CNN.

At Least 4 Dead, Including Man Killed by Tree While Cleaning Roof, amid Powerful East Coast Storm.

Heavy rains inundated Charleston, South Carolina, with many vehicles unable to navigate the city’s flooded streets, as millions along the East Coast remain under flood and wind threats through Monday. https://t.co/rNoEBBYO42 pic.twitter.com/UBCWIKLAvZ

— ABC News (@ABC) December 18, 2023

In South Carolina a 72-year-old woman died after her car became submerged in the water, reported local newspaper Post and Courier. The city coroner has said her death was storm-related, per the outlet.

On Monday morning, a 73-year-old died in Pennsylvania after his car also became submerged in water, according to the Lancaster County Coroner, CNN reported.

Additionally, ABC News, the Associated Press and NBC News reported that a driver after being swept away by floodwaters in New York. According to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, the driver’s car was swept into the Catskill Creek.

JUST IN: Major flood waters ravish the countryside in Jackson, New Hampshire after heavy winds and unprecedented rain.. pic.twitter.com/TmTkTkRwud

— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) December 19, 2023

More than 600,000 East Coast residents were without power on Tuesday morning, while more than 500 flights traveling to or in the US were canceled on Monday, according to FlightAware.com.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a travel advisory on Sunday and urged New Yorkers to take public transportation. 

Full on flood mode here in downtown Charleston, South Carolina right now. Submerged vehicles everywhere in the city, most roads are flooded. High tide just peaked at the harbor. 11:30am pic.twitter.com/8zwmGXs5Ex

— Bryce Shelton (@BryceShelton01) December 17, 2023

The National Weather Service also issued flood and flash-flood warnings for New York City and the surrounding areas, upstate New York, parts of Pennsylvania, western Connecticut, western Massachusetts and parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, according to AP.