State of Emergency declared in Colorado after snow blizzards by Steph Ball
Much of Colorado was left paralysed yesterday as a major storm brought snow and blizzards, closing Denver International Airport and prompting the Governor, Bill Owens, to declare a state of emergency.
On Tuesday the storm had made its way through New Mexico dumping up to a foot or more of snow over the higher ground. This led to the closure of parts of the Interstate 40 across eastern New Mexico into Texas, while Albuquerque International airport was closed for several hours. Roads and schools remained closed on Wednesday.
With the storm forecast to move into Colorado, the National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for much of eastern Colorado and adjoining areas of Nebraska and Kansas. Up to 20inches was forecast to fall in Denver, with 2 feet or more in the foothills to the west.
The storm struck Denver just in time for the morning rush hour, bringing chaos on the roads with icy conditions and very poor visibility. The National Guard were deployed to help any stranded motorists. Authorities closed large sections of the main interstate highways, pulling travellers off the roads and leaving empty cars and trucks stranded in ditches.
Meanwhile Denver International airport was closed after more than 1000 flights had to be cancelled leaving thousands of travellers stranded, hoping to get away for Christmas. While many rushed to book into nearby hotels, thousands were left milling around the airports corridors waiting for some improvement to come in the weather.
The closure has had knock on effects on other airports with flights bound for Denver having to be cancelled. With blizzard conditions still forecast for today, flights remain cancelled with authorities saying that the airport will remain closed at least until this evening.
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