KPRC2 producer among thousands stranded after winter storm grounds over 10,000 flights

HOUSTON – The winter storm gripping the Southeast has caused a lot of problems and prompted a state of emergency in North Carolina.

Treacherous driving conditions and canceled flights have kept residents and travelers alike stuck at home, hotels and airports, and conditions could remain that way for days.

The area near the Raleigh Airport received a record seven inches of snow, and because of dangerous conditions more than 10,000 flights had to be canceled or delayed.

According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, more than 500 crashes have been reported due to the icy roads.

Thousands of people are still without power.

KPRC2 producer Amanda Gamez is among the many trapped in North Carolina because of weather. 

Gamez was in the state for a wedding over the weekend, but now she is stuck with nowhere to go. 

“We were all at a wedding on Saturday night when all of our phones started buzzing,” Gamez said. “It was a small wedding, like 40 people, and everybody’s phones just started going off, ‘flight canceled, flight canceled, flight canceled.’ We were like, ‘what’s going on?’ So we looked outside and there’s no snow so we’re like ‘OK, it’s probably just anticipation of the snow. We leave the wedding like around 1 a.m. and we start seeing like little snow flurries. When we woke up … there’s like snow everywhere.”
Gamez said she is staying at the groom’s house with limited food. She and her husband are expecting to return back to Houston Tuesday morning depending on the weather conditions. 

Several flights to Houston out of North Carolina and other heavy-hit areas have been canceled, so if you are traveling or expecting someone from those areas, be sure to check flight information before heading to the airport.


About the Authors:

Reporter, family-oriented, sports fanatic, proud Houstonian.

Daniela Sternitzky-Di Napoli has been a digital news editor at KPRC 2 since 2018. She is a published poet and has background in creative writing and journalism. Daniela has covered events like Hurricane Harvey and the Astros World Series win. In her spare time, Daniela is an avid reader and loves to spend time with her two miniature dachshunds.