Snowstorm Traps March for Life Group on Pennsylvania Turnpike
Pro-life activists returning to the Midwest in dozens of buses after taking part in the March for Life in Washington, D.C., were stranded on the Pennsylvania Turnpike late Saturday due to an accident followed by a massive dumping of snow by Storm Jonas, which has claimed at least 18 lives. A stranded Catholic group celebrated mass on an altar they made with snow.
Hundreds of demonstrators found themselves stuck on the busy Interstate 76 Saturday after braving through the threat of Jonas to march down to the U.S. Supreme Court Building Friday to demand an end to abortion.
Among those stranded was a group of more than 300 students and chaperons from Omaha, Nebraska, reported KETV.com, which said almost all the buses had food, water and gas, and the people in high spirits.
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A Catholic group among the stranded activists decided to hold an outdoor mass, as they could't go to a church.
"Today hundreds of youth built a snow alter and came together to celebrate the beautiful mass," Wisconsin Regional Coordinator of Students for Life of America, wrote about her experience. "This was a once in a lifetime experience. I was touched by the positive attitudes, love, and worship that each and every student expressed. I put my trust in God and I know he has a plan for us. The Lord and I know what this generation is capable of doing, and I can't wait to witness the storm that we will make!"
"We have now been stuck over 15 hours in the snow because of this so called #jonasblizzard but that isn't ruining our spirits!" wrote Iowans for LIFE Associate Director Mary Granzow in a Facebook post Saturday morning. "We are still on a pilgrimage for life including Mass outside in the snow, snowball fights, and making sure those driving by know that every life matters!"
The blizzard with hurricane-force winds paralyzed life in much of the East Coast Saturday, dumping as much as 3 feet of snow and stranding tens of thousands of other travelers.
The storm has dumped more than 30 inches of snow on parts of four states and brought wind gusts as high as 85 mph along the Atlantic coast, according to The Weather Channel, which also reported that several major cities have over 2 feet of snow and many all-time snowfall records have been broken.
At least 18 people have died due to the extreme weather, which has affected at least 20 states from Georgia to Massachusetts, according to Los Angeles Times. The deaths were mainly due to car crashes, snow-shoveling mishaps and hypothermia.
"We are going into uncharted territory here. There's absolutely no reason to be out in what will be one of the worst snowstorms in New York City history," said Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City.
More than 10,000 flights around the country were canceled between Friday and Sunday, most of them due to the storm, according to Flightaware.com.
Late Saturday, weather.com said in an update, "Most of the warnings and advisories have been dropped to the northwest of I-95 from Richmond to New York City, as the axis of snow shifts east. Periods of snow will likely continue near the immediate shoreline into early Sunday morning, especially over Cape Cod and the Islands, where snow could linger into the predawn hours."
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo also announced late Saturday that bus service will resume as early as 7 a.m. Sunday, but urged commuters to be careful while traveling, according to Fox News.
"The travel ban issued earlier today allowed emergency teams to make significant progress in clearing the roads," Cuomo said. "As crews continue to respond to the storm and the severity of weather conditions decrease, we are lifting the travel ban so New Yorkers can resume their daily routines. Public safety is of paramount importance and we encourage New Yorkers to continue exercising caution while traveling."
