Page 4 - aruba-today-20210127

A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 27 January 2021
Foot of snow blankets parts of Midwest, disrupts travel

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A times because it kept get-
major winter storm dumped ting covered until the snow
more than a foot of snow finally stopped.
on parts of the middle of "I got excited about that
the country while another because it meant I only
system blanketed parts of had one more shovel pass
the Southwest with snow, to do," said Borsberry, 45.
disrupting travel for a sec- In York, Nebraska, roughly
ond consecutive day Tues- 250 semitrailers waited out
day and shuttering many the storm at the Petro truck
schools. stop alongside Interstate
There were closures of sev- 80. Manager Rachael Ad-
eral coronavirus testing amson said she could see
sites on Monday and Tues- knee-high drifts.
day in Nebraska and Iowa, "We haven't had this much
and both states saw 12 to snow in quite a few years,"
15 inches (30.5 to 38.1 cen- Adamson said.
timeters) of snow in places. In the South, one person
At least 4 inches (10 cen- was dead and at least 30
timeters) of snow was ex- others were injured after
pected through Tuesday a tornado carved a path
across most of an area of destruction north of Bir-
stretching from central mingham, Alabama, on
Kansas northeast to Chica- A lone man walks along a frozen section of North Ave. beach on Lake Michigan north of down- Monday night, leaving the
go and southern Michigan. town Chicago Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. area with crumpled build-
National Weather Service Associated Press ings and downed trees.
meteorologist Taylor Nico- In the Southwest, more
laisen, who is based near porarily closed in western "It's not only snow but it's day working around the than a foot of snow fell in
Omaha, Nebraska, said up Nebraska and in Wisconsin pretty darn windy out there, clock to clear the streets the mountains of Southern
to 15 inches (38 centime- near Milwaukee because so that's causing a lot blow- in Nebraska's biggest city, California, Nevada and
ters) was reported in spots of crashes Tuesday morn- ing and drifting," he said. but Assistant Public Works Arizona. Icy conditions in
between York, Nebraska, ing, and scores of flights In the Chicago area, be- Director Todd Pfitzer cau- mountains north of Los An-
and Des Moines, Iowa. He were canceled at airports tween between 3 inches tioned that the effort will geles shut Interstate 5 in Te-
said it's uncommon for the across the region. Officials (7.6 centimeters) and 5 take some time to com- jon Pass and State Route 58
region to get more than a urged drivers to stay off the inches (12.7 centimeters) plete. And the forecast in Tehachapi Pass.
foot of snow from a single roads. of snow had fallen by early calls for Omaha and much A storm buried northern Ari-
storm, and it has been de- In Wisconsin, the weather Tuesday. Meteorologist Bett of eastern Nebraska to get zona in snow while sending
cades since some cities service predicted up to 10 Borchardt forecast snowfall another inch or so of snow flurries to the outskirts of Las
saw this much. inches (25.4 centimeters) up to 8 inches (20.3 centi- Tuesday night. Vegas and Phoenix. Most
"A lot of people tend to of snow could fall in the meters) or more in north- "We are asking for a little of Nevada was bracing for
misremember snow events Milwaukee area, with the ern Illinois before the storm patience. We got 12 inches another series of power-
— especially from when highest totals along Lake ends Tuesday evening. of snow yesterday," Pfitzer ful winter storms that could
you were a kid. Everything Michigan. The last comparable snow- said to the Omaha World- bring several feet of snow
felt like a foot of snow when Wind gusts of 15 mph (24 fall hit the area in Novem- Herald. to the mountains above
you were a kid," Nicolaisen kph) to 25 mph (40 kph) ber 2018, when 8.4 inches In West Des Moines, Iowa, Lake Tahoe by Thursday.
said. "The snow drifts were were reported across (21.3 centimeters) fell. Chris Borsberry said he Preliminary snowfall reports
literally higher than your southern Wisconsin, creat- Many schools and busi- needed four-wheel drive to from the latest storm in-
head when you were a ing drifting snow, reduced nesses across the Midwest make it into the Fairfield Inn cluded 14.2 inches (36 cen-
kid, but that's because you visibilities and complicating closed for a second day & Suites where he works, timeters) at the Flagstaff
were 2 1/2 feet tall." snow removal efforts, said Tuesday as crews worked and it still took him twice airport and 16 inches (40.6
The storm made travel Andy Boxell, a meteorolo- to dig out after the storm. as long as normal to get centimeters) at Payson be-
treacherous in places as gist with the weather ser- The city of Omaha had all to the hotel. Once there, tween Sunday night and
wind-whipped snow piled vice's office in Sullivan, Wis- 115 of its own plows and Borsberry said he had to late Monday, the weather
up. Interstates were tem- consin. 300 contractors out Tues- shovel the sidewalk seven service said.q

Amid pandemic, NY seizures of fentanyl and meth surge

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal authori- are on a steep rise, according to meth — manufactured in so-called "When drug traffickers introduced
ties say the amount of fentanyl Drug Enforcement Administration "super labs" south of the border — fentanyl to the illicit drug market,
seized in drug-trafficking investiga- numbers released Tuesday. into the U.S. Northeast despite the they created a monster," Donovan
tions in the state of New York con- There were 404 kilograms (890 coronavirus health crisis, said Ray said.
tinues to increase at an alarming pounds) of fentanyl seized in the Donovan, head of the DEA's New In raids in New York City in May,
rate, underscoring how the pan- state in fiscal year 2020, a 59% in- York office. agents recovered 120,000 glass-
demic hasn't slowed a booming crease, the DEA said. The total DEA agents have seen fentanyl ine envelopes of suspected her-
market for the potent synthetic for meth was up 214%, to 767 kilo- mixed with heroin, cocaine, meth oin mixed with fentanyl that was
opioid. grams (1,690 pounds), the agency and even marijuana, Donovan worth over $1 million. The DEA
Seizures of methamphetamine — added. said. It's estimated that more than said dealers stamped some of the
another highly addictive synthetic The increases reflect an effort by 60% of all drug overdose deaths in envelopes with a twisted brand:
street drug blamed in a national Mexican drug cartels to expand New York City involve fentanyl, he "Coronavirus."q
surge in overdose deaths — also their supply chains for fentanyl and added.