Over 2000 flights cancelled, 2400 delayed after powerful storm hits US

Hundreds of passengers were stranded at US airports following a flurry of flight delays and cancellations in the Midwest and South after a winter storm hit the country CNN reported on FridayThe report stated citing data from flight tracking website FlightAwarecom that over 2400 flights were delayed and more than 2000 have been cancelled due to the storm so farAlmost 40 per cent of flights of the 36 per cent inbound flights were cancelled at the OHare International Airport in Chicago and Chicago Midway International Airport cancelled about 60 per cent of both outbound and inbound flightsMeanwhile other affected airports include Denver International and Milwaukee Mitchell InternationalAccording to CNN the cancellations due to the grounding of the 737 Max 9 planes are also contributing to these numbers More than 200 United and Alaska Airlines flights have been cancelled each day this week due to the Federal Aviation Administrationmandated grounding The FAA and Boeing are still trying to settle on an inspection protocol that would allow those planes to resume flyingMost of the cancellations have been attributed to the winter storm FlightAware showed that Southwest which doesnt fly the 737 Max 9 cancelling nearly 400 flightsthe most of any airlineMoreover the situation has also affected the electricity supply in the region Power outages are climbing as the storm unleashes severe thunderstorms in the South blizzard conditions in the Midwest and strong wind gusts for the more than 150 million Americans under wind alerts FridayNearly 250000 homes and businesses are without power in the Great Lakes and South as of Friday morning Most of the outages are in Illinois where more than 97000 are in the dark and winds have gusted as high as 55 mph at Chicagos OHare International AirportSevere thunderstorms racing across the South have produced wind gusts as high as 74 mph in ArkansasThe severe winds of the storm led to significant damage to an iconic state landmark dating back to the 19th century in Maine during the powerful storm sweeping across the eastern half of the United States CNN reportedAs per the Maine officials only one wall of the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park bell house built in 1897 is still standing after 79 mph winds struck it Wednesday according to Bristol Parks and Recreation Department director Shelley GallagherCNN reported that Gallagher said that with another powerful storm on the horizon time is essential to ensure more harm isnt done to the building and officials have taken steps to shore up what remains of the structure but are very concerned it isnt enoughThe bell house was built to store a 1000pound bell that alerted sailors when fog set in and they couldnt see the lighthouse according to GallagherLuckily the bell was not damaged in the storm it was moved at the end of August because the beam on which it hung was rottingThe wall the bell was hanging on isnt there anymore and a part of history would have been lost Gallagher saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever