A severe storm that has been raging on the U.S. East Coast since Monday has so far claimed at least two lives; one victim was struck by lightning and the other by a falling tree.
In Florence, Alabama, police said a 28-year-old man was fatally electrocuted in a parking lot. A few miles farther east, 15-year-old Evan Christopher Kinley was crushed by a shrub while exiting a car in Anderson, South Carolina.
Overall, nearly one million homes and businesses – from New York to Alabama – experienced blackouts in the past few hours, and nearly 3,000 flights have been canceled (as well as nearly 8,000 delayed) at East Coast airports, especially New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Washington DC.
The weather alert issued by the National Weather Service regarding potential thunderstorms and tornadoes affected more than 50 million people in total. One of the most alarming situations was in the D.C. metropolitan area, where on Monday some White House and Pentagon employees were sent home in anticipation of the storm that hit the capital and northern Maryland in the late afternoon.
In Westminster, Maryland, 33 adults and 14 children were trapped in their cars for several hours after strong winds knocked down more than 30 power poles.
