ARLINGTON, Va. - A powerful winter storm that blasted Northeast states was fading Friday, but sub-freezing temperatures continued and the Massachusetts National Guard was assisting state and local officials.
Just under 380 members of the Massachusetts National Guard were called up to check on residents' well being and for possible evacuations, according to figures from the National Guard Bureau.
"We have nothing that nature can throw at us that can stop us from getting there," Maj. Gen. L. Scott Rice, the state's adjutant general, told the website boston.com.
State emergency operations centers were activated in several states including Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, but there was no National Guard staffing, according to NGB.
In the nation's heartland, Kansas officials were urging residents to prepare for an anticipated weekend storm.
The National Weather Service is forecasting two cold fronts with the first bringing colder temperatures into Kansas on Saturday with snowfall accumulations ranging from a quarter inch to an inch and a half.
Then dangerously low temperatures are expected to move into much of the state Sunday with winds of 20 to 25 miles an hour and wind chills of 10 to 30 degrees below zero Sunday night through Tuesday morning.
"This is an extremely dangerous forecast and taking precautions to ensure your safety and your family's safety is essential," said Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli, director of Kansas Division of Emergency Management and adjutant general. "Simply, put, these temperatures and wind chills can be deadly."
"If you must travel in these conditions, make sure your cell phone is charged, your gas tank is full, and you have plenty of items to help you stay safe if your vehicle stalls or you are in an accident and have to wait for help," Tafanelli added.