Having been around the block a bit in life with some of these mid-winter storms, I can say that when all is said and done the most deaths usually come from people running generators and the carbon monoxide. Rather than the actual freezing to death or trees down. Driving over downed power lines or using the plow on your pickup to move the downed power lines in the road is also a popular way to speed up natural selection.
It is especially important for people in areas that do not regularly get snow and freezing conditions to stay smart because it is the most common tricks that kill people. 1) Why don't I just burn some charcoal briquets in my fireplace....boom.... you iz dead. 2) "I know I cannot run my generator inside but I iz smart and will run it in my basement with all the windows open but still have the power upstairs." ...boom.....you and the entire family iz dead.
Yeh, the Winter Wonderland stuff is not all that it is cracked up to be sometimes.
Enjoy.