Trump declares emergencies ahead of widespread winter storm

(MENAFN) President Donald Trump on Saturday approved emergency declarations for 12 states as a powerful winter storm threatens large swaths of the continental United States, according to statements.

In posts on his social media platform, Trump said the declarations cover South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia. He pledged federal support through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state partners to ensure public safety and adequate resources. "We will continue to monitor, and stay in touch with all states in the path of this storm," he wrote.

Millions of Americans are facing states of emergency as the storm is expected to affect regions stretching from the Southwest to the Northeast beginning Saturday. In total, 22 states have declared emergencies, including Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also issued a state of emergency.

The National Weather Service forecast heavy snowfall from Oklahoma to southern Maine, along with “widespread freezing rain and sleet” across the South and Southeast. Trump had previously warned that a “record cold wave” could strike dozens of states.

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