«Travel Health Powerful blizzard strikes in US capital of WashingtonNews about: United States of America by Carlos Hamann
WASHINGTON, Feb 6, 2010 (AFP) - A blizzard packing strong winds and heavy snowfall pounded the US capital and surrounding areas Saturday, killing at least two people and paralyzing parts of the region. The National Weather Service (NWS) put the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area under a rare 24-hour blizzard warning until 10:00 pm Saturday (0300 GMT Sunday). The storm, dubbed "Snowpocalypse" and "Snowmageddon" by many locals, stretched from Indiana to Pennsylvania and into parts of New York and North Carolina, creating treacherous travel conditions, shutting Washington area airports and leading several states to declare emergencies.
The inclement weather was deemed responsible for at least two fatalities -- a father and son who were hit by a tractor-trailer on a road in Virginia when they stopped to help a stranded motorist, local media reported. Forecasters said the Washington region would be hardest-hit, describing travel conditions in the area as "hazardous and life-threatening." The NWS forecast up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) of snow in the capital region, which would shatter Washington's 88-year-old record snowfall of 28 inches, in the "Great Knickerbocker Storm." That blizzard, which slammed the region in January 1922 got its name from the collapse of the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington which killed nearly 100 people.
The blizzard warning means "severe winter weather conditions," which includes "falling and blowing snow with strong winds... that will lead to whiteout conditions," the NWS said. President Barack Obama, who lived in snowy Chicago for years, mocked Washington-area schools last year for closing due to a few inches of snow and ice. "Folks in Washington don't seem to be able to handle things when it comes to the weather," the newly-sworn in president said at the time. On Friday he had changed his tune. "Even a transplanted Hawaiian to Chicago has sufficient respect for a forecast of up to two feet of snow," said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. By dawn Saturday, about a foot (30 centimeters) of snow was already on the ground, meteorologists said, and the storm showed no signed of abating.
All flights were canceled for Saturday at Reagan National Airport, and most planes were grounded at Dulles International and Baltimore-Washington International Airports, although all three area airports formally remained open. Late Friday, the national capital was left without bus service as the metropolitan transit authority deemed the roadways "impassable." The metro shut down 40 above ground stations, with Metro Acting Deputy General Manager Dave Kubicek saying the service was "fast-reaching the point where we risk trains becoming stranded on snow-covered tracks."
The measures effectively meant that Washington's outlying suburbs have been left without public transportation. Most of the inter-urban train service was also canceled. The governors of Virginia, Maryland and Delaware declared states of emergency, a move that puts the National Guard on alert. "The National Guard has more than 100 Humvees and five-ton trucks and military ambulances ready to respond" in Maryland, Governor Martin O'Malley said.
Nearly 28,000 power outages were reported in the area, electricity companies said. In nearby Delaware, Governor Jack Markell ordered all vehicles off the roads starting at 10:00 pm (0300 GMT Saturday). "Until further notice, the emergency declaration allows only emergency vehicles and essential personnel on the roads," a statement from Markell's office said.
Desperate last-minute shoppers besieged supermarkets Friday to stock up on provisions, as official warnings blared on radio and television, urging residents to be prepared to stay inside for up to five days. By the early afternoon the normally vibrant Washington was close to a ghost town, with federal employees scurrying home on public transportation. Courts, schools, government offices, even military bases closed early to beat the storm which started to dump snow on the capital and its suburbs by mid-day.
Jane Bate, 41, who emigrated to the United States from the Philippines in March, headed out to a local supermarket early Friday after neighbors warned her to prepare for the worst. "I got there at 7:00 am and there were really long queues, and the place looked like it had been ransacked," she told AFP. Source: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Date: 06-Feb-2010 13:57:29 |
