Six Dead As Winter Storm, Floods Hit US

At least six people were killed after a powerful winter storm struck the U.S east coast on Friday with strong winds, heavy rain and snow disrupting normal life and forcing cancellation of thousand flights.

NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :At least six people were killed after a powerful winter storm struck the U.S east coast on Friday with strong winds, heavy rain and snow disrupting normal life and forcing cancellation of thousand flights.

Winter Storm Riley dropped more than a foot of snow in the western and northern parts of New York state, as heavy rain lashed coastal areas. The storm is expected to taper off later today. More than 3,000 domestic and international flights were canceled on Friday and more than 2,400 others were delayed, according to the website FlightAware.

More than half the flights scheduled to arrive and depart from New York's LaGuardia Airport were canceled, with sweeping disruptions at Boston Logan International and New York's two other area airports -- Newark and John F.

Kennedy International. Amtrak, the US public railway service, announced that "for safety" all services along the northeast corridor were temporarily suspended. Trains already en route between the US capital, New York, and Boston would continue to their destinations.

Massachusetts was pounded by floods and rain, much of the East Coast endured heavy snow and winds of up to 60 mph. In Putnam, New York, an 11-year-old boy was killed on Friday when a falling tree struck his home.

In Virginia, six-year-old Anthony Hamilton died when a tree fell on his home in Chester. About 50 miles away, James City County Police said that a man had died when a tree fell on his vehicle. Another motorist was killed near Stamford, Connecticut, after a tree fell on a car, state police said.

In Baltimore, officials confirmed the death of a woman, 77, who was struck by a large tree branch and pronounced dead at the scene. In Newport, Rhode Island, 72-year old Robert Beaver was hit and killed by a tree at his home down the street from The Breakers, the Gilded Age mansion built for the Vanderbilt family.

Voluntary evacuations have been in place along the coast since late on Thursday night before the floods began. The National Guard has been called in to parts of Massachusetts to assist local authorities with evacuations.