Winter storms batter US

Severe winter weather over the last few days has brought parts of the US to a standstill. Ice storms, blizzards and avalanches have affected the country with increasing fears for the lives of residents with at least four people thought to have died. Search and rescue teams have been inundated with emergency call outs with concern growing for skiers missing in the Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah. One 20-year-old skier was found but died after being airlifted to an area hospital. As the search continues for survivors there's little sign of the extreme conditions abating. This blizzard in the midwest is just the latest in a series of winter storms to hit the US with wind in some places gusting up to 35 miles per hour and temperatures dropping to as low as -17C (1F). Over 100 miles of interstate roads have had to be closed. The weather front comes just two days after a major ice storm in the northeast cut off power to over a million homes. Patricia Lamothe the Stoddard Fire Chief in the state of Missouri said: "We do not have power and we do not have an update on when we're going to have power to the town. "Our main goal right now is to open up all our roads so that we can get emergency vehicles in to them."

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ITN | December 15, 2008

Tags:. .snowbird. .inundated. .abating. .standstill. .airlifted