strong winds and freezing temperatures. at least 19 people have died. more than one and a half million american households and businesses are without electricity, and thousands of flights have been cancelled. the us state of montana registered a record breaking low of minus 45 celsius. nomia iqbal reports. for much of america, this is the coldest christmas eve. millions of them had plans to get away for the holidays. but the powerful bomb cyclone has thrown everything into chaos, causing car accidents, destroying power lines, leaving millions without electricity. the warning is, don t travel unless you need to. don t travel under these conditions unless you have to. because anything can happen at any moment, and you ve got to be on your toes. some places like new york have gone further and banned driving due to low visibility. across the region there is a state of emergency. we ve had ice, flooding, snow, freezing temperatures, and everything that mother nature could wallop a