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US: Extreme cold in southern, central states kills 21 people

The extreme cold weather has caused COVID-19 vaccine centres to shut down

USA-WEATHER/ man walks to his friend's home in a neighbourhood without electricity as snow covers the BlackH

A ferocious winter storm in southern and central parts of the US has killed at least 21 people and left millions of Texans without power on Tuesday.

The 21 people who have died are from Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Missouri. The 21 also include four people killed in a fire in Sugar Land Texas. The extreme cold weather has caused COVID-19 vaccine centres to shut down. The freeze is expected to linger till the weekend. Texas authorities are facing critique over repeated failure of power grids. The freezing weather has stilled giant wind turbines in West Texas, making it impossible for energy companies to meet escalating demand, Reuters reported.

Around 4 million people in northern Mexico also faced blackouts.

The federal government is ready to offer any emergency resources needed, President Joe Biden has assured governors of the states that have been affected by the extreme weather. Biden’s administration also said that shipment of vaccines to these areas might be delayed due to the weather conditions.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said that 1.3 million people in his city remain without power. He added that “It’s critically, critically important to get the power restored as quickly as possible. It’s priority number one!” Texas officials have urged citizens to not bring grills or propane heaters indoors as they may cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

Due to extreme weather, several homes did not have water as the pipes were frozen.

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