U.S. President Donald Trump has approved the declaration of a state of emergency in ten states in the southeastern United States, as a powerful winter storm continues to impact vast regions of the country. In a post on the Truth Social platform, Trump confirmed his approval for the emergency declaration in Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia. Trump explained that his administration is working in close coordination with the governors of the affected states and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as part of ongoing preparations to deal with the storm's aftermath, urging Americans to exercise caution and prioritize their safety. The president had previously approved emergency declarations in other states in the storm's path, including South Carolina and Virginia. These declarations allow for temporary relaxation of certain spending restrictions, enabling state governments to expedite resource allocation and request federal assistance. At least 20 U.S. states have declared a state of emergency, including Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Snow and ice cover an area stretching over two thousand kilometers within the United States, with forecasts predicting the storm's impact will extend from Texas to New England over a distance of more than three thousand kilometers. Large areas of the southern U.S. are also experiencing increasing power outages due to ice accumulation, which has caused trees to fall and damaged power lines, amid warnings that hundreds of thousands could lose service for several days. The storm has led to the cancellation of more than 13,000 flights, as well as the closure of sections of highways due to hazardous weather conditions.
