Storms continue to hit US, more than a dozen killed

Blizzard blankets Southern California mountains as raging US winter storm death toll rises to 13: Frantic San Bernardino residents write ‘help us’ message in 5ft snow as over 300k in Kentucky and Michigan are left in darkness

  • Storms continue to hit the United States coast-to-coast after a devastating week 
  • In the Midwest and South, more than a dozen were killed by the severe weather and more than 300,000 are still without power Sunday
  • In the Southern California mountains, some left messages in the snow as they have run out of food, gas, insulin, and baby formula after being stuck for a week 

The death toll from a series of devastating storms that have hit the U.S. has risen to 13 as the Midwest and South cleanup and the West Coast attempts to dig out from the snow. 

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced Saturday that five people were killed across multiple counties on March 4 from the severe weather including high winds. One additional person died indirectly from the winter weather. 

The storms have left more than 300,000 people across Kentucky and Michigan in the darkness as of Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us. 

In Southern California, residents and visitors resorted to writing out ‘help us’ in the snow as they have been trapped for more than a week by feet of snow. 

‘It feels helpless right, and it’s kind of a frustrating type of helpless,’ said one man who has been isolated in the San Bernardino mountains for nearly two weeks.

In Southern California, residents and visitors resorted to writing out S.O.S. messages in the snow as they have been trapped for more than a week

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hIZvZ92y6ko%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

A tree is completely uprooted in Morgan County, Alabama from the storms

Onlookers view the boats and dock damage at Safe Harbor Pier 121 in Lewisville, Texas, Friday

Some areas of San Bernardino County have received more than four feet of snow during the recent round of snow to hit

Last week, winds in Kentucky reached up to 75 miles per hour in Kentucky, causing major widespread destruction. According to Beshear, the majority of the damage was to trees and power lines. 

As of Sunday, more than 216,000 residents are still without power and Beshear warned Saturday it could take days to restore power. Similarly, Michigan still has nearly 110,00 without power as of Sunday. 

‘Very significant widespread damage and is going to take days to get power back up in some places,’ Gov. Beshear said Saturday at a press conference.

The governor described the powerful winds by explaining that some residents in Franklin County – located between Lexington and Louisville – could ‘feel the walls moving.’ 

Beshear declared a state of emergency Friday over the weather. 

Millions of Americans are still under weather advisories as high winds, snow, tornadoes, and thunderstorms continue to threaten states. The storms have wreaked havoc on states including Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas. 

Seven tornadoes have been reported across Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas since Thursday. Arkansas has also seen more than half a foot of rain and Oklahoma and Ohio were under flooding alerts Friday.

Winds in Texas ripped the roof off a grocery store north of Dallas while 80-mile-per-hour winds were recorded near Fort Worth. 

Residents at an apartment complex nearby also reported their roof being ripped off by the winds. 

‘The whole building started shaking…The whole ceiling is gone,’ one neighbor told KDFW-TV. ‘It got really crazy.’ 

A car parked in Red Bank, Tenn. is seen under a fallen tree following storms on Friday

Residents wait in line to receive food after feet of snow fell in Crestline, California 

Temps across the United States range drastically from negatives in the Dakotas to mid 70s in Texas and surrounding states 

Barbara Buckner looks over her home that was destroyed by a tornado in Norman, Oklahoma

https://youtube.com/watch?v=x1rrv1xUnbc%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

San Bernardino County firefighters have been working to dig residents out 

Cars carefully navigate downed trees and power lines on Chestnut Blvd. in Selma, Alabama

Another tree was completely ripped out of the ground in Alabama during the recent round of storms that struck the area, including tornadoes 

A vehicle drives down a road as hail and rain fall during a winter storm that blanketed the region in Redondo Beach, California

The Santa Clara River flooded, due to heavy rainfall, washing away over 150 feet of land and multiple mobile homes 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=aOJudhT0oXU%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

Southern California has seen little relief from a series of storms that have hit the area for weeks 

Another photo shows the damage in Alabama from the storm

In Southern California, two teen boys who were hiking the San Bernardino mountains were forced to huddle for days after they were stranded in the snow. 

‘They’ve told us, ‘We were already convinced we were going to die’,’ Cesar Ramirez, the father of one of the two boys, told KTLA. 

The area where the boys were rescued from has been pummeled by snow, some places receiving upwards of 50 inches in the last week.

California officials estimate that as much as 10 feet have fallen during the storms. Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared states of emergency in 13 counties. 

One of the 13 counties includes San Bernardino where some residents have been stranded for nearly two weeks.  

The snowfall has closed off access to some roads entirely and shut off the power. 

San Diego resident Kirk Taylor told ABC 10 he has been at his family cabin in Running Springs since February 20 with his wife and their two children. 

Taylor said his family is prepared with gas and food but others are not so lucky. 

‘They have no gas, no gas for hot water. They’re kind of stuck,’ he said.

Dawn Rowe, chair of the county board of supervisors, said the county has received hundreds of emergency calls in the past week, many from people who are looking for baby formula or medicine. 

This was an S.O.S. message written in the snow

Mountains surrounding LA are seen covered in snow on March 2 

‘They have no gas, no gas for hot water. They’re kind of stuck,’ said San Diego resident Kirk Taylor who has been stuck in the mountains with his family since February 20

https://youtube.com/watch?v=EV8zssLroOo%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

Snow has completely buried some residents in the San Bernardino mountain area

Hundreds of personnel from first responder agencies have been dispatched to assist in the recovery efforts in Southern California

In one video posted to Twitter, a Lake Arrowhead resident pleaded with officials to respond with resources including baby formula and insulin. 

Hundreds of personnel from first responder agencies have been dispatched to assist in the recovery efforts in Southern California. 

In Northern California, most ski resorts have already seen in excess of 500 inches this winter, according to meteorologists. 

The famed Mammoth Mountain is approaching 700 inches so far this season. 

Overall, California’s snowpack is at 189 percent of the average to date.

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