Biden declares emergency in New York state

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, approved a declaration of emergency for the state of New York, the most affected by the storm Elliot. With this statement, Biden approves federal aid to state and local governments to deal with the consequences of the storm, which caused at least 50 deaths across the country, 27 of which were in the northwest of that state. The US president authorized the Department of the Interior and the Emergency Management Agency to coordinate actions necessary to deal with the situation and “alleviate the adversity and suffering” caused by the storm, according to a statement from the White House. Caused by an arctic cold front, the storm affected the United States from the Great Lakes, near the border with Canada, to the Bravo, or Grande, river, on the border with Mexico, reaching about 60% of the country’s population. Heavy snowfall and cyclonic winds left thousands stranded in their homes, stranded passengers on Christmas Eve due to canceled flights and blocked roads, and power outages to nearly 1.7 million homes and businesses due to breakdowns in electrical infrastructure. New York City reached a minimum temperature of -10.5° Celsius (C) on Christmas Day, which had not happened since 1872, while Washington, the capital of the USA, had -10°C the coldest Christmas since 1983 and Tampa, Florida, recorded temperatures below zero, which had not happened since 1966. *Reproduction of this content is prohibited.

Agência Brasil