Several businesses and industries were affected by a devastating winter storm that ravaged parts of the United States particularly the state of Texas since Monday.
Power outages were reported in Texas as frigid temperatures have hampered operations of several businesses and industries while 25 people have reportedly died.
Some American companies including retailer Walmart have been forced to stop operations in over 450 stores as the Southern United States brace for a second round of the historic Arctic freeze that dumped snow and ice across the region and left millions without power.
“The safety of our associates and customers is our top priority. Walmart’s Emergency Operations Center monitors winter storms and other potential disasters in real-time. We assess the status of our facilities and will continue to operate as long as it is safe to do so,” Walmart said.
Retailers such as Target have 10 stores still closed, primarily in Texas due to power outages and poor road conditions. Meanwhile, CVS Pharmacy has also closed approximately 775 stores in states “where locations are without power or due to severe weather conditions and local states of emergency.”
Several Airlines have also issued a fresh set of travel waivers on Wednesday as airports in Texas continue to clear roads and runways due to record ice and snow.
FlightAware reported more than 2,500 canceled flights and more than 900 delays for Wednesday alone. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport still had the highest number of canceled flights with American Airlines heading up the list of carriers with the most canceled flights.
Car manufacturers Ford and General Motors also reported manufacturing disruptions due to heavy snow and power outages.
General Motors altered or canceled production on its first and second shifts at plants in Texas, Tennessee, Indiana, and Kentucky while Ford said its plants in Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, and Mexico were shut down as several states brace for the brutal Arctic storm.
The National Weather Service said Wednesday that over 100 million Americans are under winter storm warnings, watches, or advisories.
Severe cold weather continues across the Central and Southern US affecting utilities while leaving about 2.5 million homes and businesses without electricity with the majority of the affected in Texas with 1.9 million people without power, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.US.
The deadly winter storm also affected operations of the United States Postal Service closed a number of its offices in Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia in response to the storm.
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