On Monday last week, between 18 to 28 centimeters of snow fell on I-95, the US East Coast¢¥s major north-south artery, during a blizzard.

Hundreds of motorists were stranded overnight in freezing temperatures after a pileup of tractor trailers disrupted private and commercial traffic. Multiple vehicles were in the crash, and it brought the roadway to a standstill, as heavy snow continued to add to traffic. While some motorists abandoned their vehicles, others faced a serious situation as they ran out of gas, and they had no food or water.

Authorities closed an 80-kilometer part of the road so workers could remove the stopped trucks, treat the road for snow and icing, and guide the motorists to nearby interchanges. The event came at the end of a difficult holiday travel season with supplies disrupted and flights canceled due to weather and COVID-19 related absences.

Difficult words: artery (an important route in a system of roads), interchange (a part of a highway where roads are arranged in different levels so that vehicles can move without crossing the streams of traffic), absence (when you are gone from somewhere, usually school or work).