The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

A DEADLY winter storm tearing across the United States has paralysed travel, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands, and left Bahamian travellers stranded far from home as airlines struggle to recover from days of cancellations and delays.

Dozens of people were reported dead as Winter Storm Fern dumped snow, ice, and freezing rain across wide swathes of the country, shutting down roads, grounding aircraft, and overwhelming airports. By yesterday afternoon, about 5,300 flights had been cancelled and more than 4,300 delayed, according to FlightAware, which said more than 11,400 flights were cancelled on Sunday alone.

The storm brought daily life in many cities to a standstill. Major roadways were buried under heavy snow, while bitter cold strained power systems. More than 670,000 customers were still without electricity yesterday evening, according to poweroutage.com. Images circulating online showed baseball stadiums blanketed in snow, plough trucks battling blizzard conditions in Philadelphia, and grey, freezing skies stretching across New York and Texas. Some residents embraced the weather with sleigh rides and snowball fights, but for many others the storm meant prolonged disruption and danger.

Airports were among the hardest hit. Freezing rain, sleet, and snow triggered widespread shutdowns, with chaos reported at major hubs including New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and Dallas.

Several Bahamians caught in the turmoil described exhausting and confusing efforts to get home.

Kaylee Roberts, 22, of New Providence, said she travelled to Dallas last Wednesday to visit a friend in college and attend a concert, only to find herself trapped as the weather worsened. She said she began worrying about her return on Saturday as conditions deteriorated but did not receive a travel advisory for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport from American Airlines until the following day.

Once she received the alert, she rebooked her flight for Monday, but that flight was cancelled later that night around 9.30pm. She was then forced to rebook again on a longer route with additional stops before being switched to a direct flight to Miami. That flight, scheduled to depart around noon, was delayed repeatedly without clear information.

Ms Roberts said airline staff later told her the delay was caused by a flight attendant being unable to arrive from Portland, Oregon, because icy conditions had prevented crew members from reporting for duty.

“I went to talk to an agent to ask about possible accommodations if needed and was told there would be none and my only option was to change or cancel my flight,” she said, adding that she had been at the airport since 5am.

“I was unable to get any information about if the flight from Portland had left or what time it would arrive to know if I would be able to wait and still make the flight. I was sent back and forth between the agent and the gate with no help from anyone.”

She described the airport as overwhelming and chaotic, with thousands of travellers competing for answers, and said the prolonged uncertainty left her mentally exhausted.

She was eventually able to board a direct flight to Miami before continuing on to New Providence and later received a hotel voucher once the delay was confirmed to not be weather-related.

“As cool as it was to see snow for the first time, this was not worth it,” she said.

Earl Thompson said he travelled to New York with relatives to attend a funeral. They boarded their flight on Sunday but were later removed because of the storm. He said they were eventually told their Delta flight had been cancelled, leading to hours-long waits to retrieve luggage as snow blocked airport entryways.

“Some people got frustrated because, you know, I guess they were looking forward to their life,” he said, adding that the disruptions left many travellers in panic.

Mr Thompson said he was fortunate to have a relative’s home where he could stay, noting that others were forced to sleep at the airport. He said he is now scheduled to return home today.