US in chaos as blizzard strikes northeast coast
Source: Agencies |
December 28, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A BLIZZARD pummeled the northeastern United States yesterday, dumping up to 74 centimeters of snow, disrupting air and rail travel and making driving hazardous at the end of the busy Christmas weekend.
New York City, eastern New Jersey and western Long Island were the hardest hit by the storm, which blew up the Atlantic Coast on Sunday night and continued up to the yesterday morning commute, unleashing powerful winds and grounding cities to a halt.
New York's three major airports were shut on Sunday night after at least 2,000 flights were canceled.
Trade on the New York Stock Exchange was expected to take place as normal, however.
"Everything is business as usual," an NYSE spokeswoman said, and the market opened promptly at 9:30am.
But trading on all the financial markets was thinned by the storm, which also kept shoppers away from malls.
Six states declared a state of emergency as the first widespread blizzard of the season hit Americans returning to work after one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
New York City was covered in snow - knee deep in many areas with giant piles on the sidewalks where snow plows had cleared the streets.
Some motorists who were able to dig their cars out from the snow were left spinning their wheels on unplowed streets.
Skies started clearing just before the morning commute, providing ideal play conditions and an extra treat for children after school was canceled.
But there was no fun for thousands of people stranded in the airports.
At Philadelphia International Airport, some 1,200 passengers were given pillows, blankets, water, juice and diapers from the airport's assistance program.
New York subway traffic was sporadic and the Metro-North commuter rail connecting the city to its northern suburbs was suspended.
One New York subway train was stuck on a frozen track for seven hours before being rescued. The Amtrak passenger rail service between New York and Boston was suspended on Sunday night but resumed with a limited schedule yesterday morning.
Snow fell on New York's Central Park for 17 hours and the blizzard could become just the sixth storm in history to leave snow 50 centimeters deep, NY1 television said.
Snow drifts dropped 90 to 150cm on north-facing structures thanks to winds of up to 79 kph, the report said.
Major airlines, including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Continental Airlines and United Airlines, all canceled large numbers of flights.
One caller seeking to reschedule a flight on US Airways was told by an automated phone message: "Your wait time is now 170 minutes."
An NFL football game scheduled for Sunday night in Philadelphia was postponed, forcing the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings to reschedule the contest for today.
The move sparked criticism, especially as the sport loves to glorify games in snow.
"It's an absolute joke," Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, a big Eagles fan, said. "I was looking forward to this. It would have been a real experience. This is what football is all about."
"We're becoming a nation of wussies," Rendell said.
New York City, eastern New Jersey and western Long Island were the hardest hit by the storm, which blew up the Atlantic Coast on Sunday night and continued up to the yesterday morning commute, unleashing powerful winds and grounding cities to a halt.
New York's three major airports were shut on Sunday night after at least 2,000 flights were canceled.
Trade on the New York Stock Exchange was expected to take place as normal, however.
"Everything is business as usual," an NYSE spokeswoman said, and the market opened promptly at 9:30am.
But trading on all the financial markets was thinned by the storm, which also kept shoppers away from malls.
Six states declared a state of emergency as the first widespread blizzard of the season hit Americans returning to work after one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
New York City was covered in snow - knee deep in many areas with giant piles on the sidewalks where snow plows had cleared the streets.
Some motorists who were able to dig their cars out from the snow were left spinning their wheels on unplowed streets.
Skies started clearing just before the morning commute, providing ideal play conditions and an extra treat for children after school was canceled.
But there was no fun for thousands of people stranded in the airports.
At Philadelphia International Airport, some 1,200 passengers were given pillows, blankets, water, juice and diapers from the airport's assistance program.
New York subway traffic was sporadic and the Metro-North commuter rail connecting the city to its northern suburbs was suspended.
One New York subway train was stuck on a frozen track for seven hours before being rescued. The Amtrak passenger rail service between New York and Boston was suspended on Sunday night but resumed with a limited schedule yesterday morning.
Snow fell on New York's Central Park for 17 hours and the blizzard could become just the sixth storm in history to leave snow 50 centimeters deep, NY1 television said.
Snow drifts dropped 90 to 150cm on north-facing structures thanks to winds of up to 79 kph, the report said.
Major airlines, including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Continental Airlines and United Airlines, all canceled large numbers of flights.
One caller seeking to reschedule a flight on US Airways was told by an automated phone message: "Your wait time is now 170 minutes."
An NFL football game scheduled for Sunday night in Philadelphia was postponed, forcing the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings to reschedule the contest for today.
The move sparked criticism, especially as the sport loves to glorify games in snow.
"It's an absolute joke," Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, a big Eagles fan, said. "I was looking forward to this. It would have been a real experience. This is what football is all about."
"We're becoming a nation of wussies," Rendell said.
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