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Northeast begins digging outSnowfall costly in lives and cleanup
NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.S. Middle Atlantic and Eastern states were digging out from a deadly and costly snowstorm Tuesday -- a day after it set record snowfalls, shut down airports and stranded holiday travelers. The storm has been blamed for 42 deaths since it swept through the Midwest on Friday and moved east -- 18 in Pennsylvania, two in Illinois, one in Nebraska, five in West Virginia, six in Missouri, one in Ohio, one in New Jersey, four in Iowa, and four in Maryland, according to state officials. By Tuesday afternoon, the worst of the snowfall in Middle Atlantic and Eastern states was over, and the region was bracing for a rainstorm set to hit Friday from the West that was predicted to last through the weekend, CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers said. Airports serving Washington, New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reopened, and Baltimore-Washington International started accepting arriving flights at mid-afternoon. The snowstorm provoked many inconveniences including cancellations, delays and long waits. (Storm vignettes) CNN's Michael Okwu asked a Boston resident to compare the snowstorm with past snowfalls. "I was part of the blizzard of '78 where I was snowbound for three days in the suburbs of Boston," said the man, who did not give his name. "But in recent years, this is the most I've seen. It's beautiful. "Luckily I live in the city, so I don't have to drive through it." Mayors of cities hit hardest by the snow were bracing for the financial blow of an expensive dig out. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city would be working around the clock until the snow is completely plowed. He acknowledged that this storm's price tag would be expensive. "We've always used a million dollars an inch [as] a good rule," Bloomberg said. "So let's see when it's done. If you had 20 inches, that's 20 million. It's a number like that." During a Tuesday news conference Bloomberg offered some good news. "Between today and tomorrow, things really should be pretty much in hand," Bloomberg said. "Most of the streets are very passable." One hundred percent of the city's primary streets, 92 percent of its secondary streets and 75 percent of its tertiary streets had all been plowed at least once, the mayor said. In Maryland, Gov. Robert Ehrlich estimated that snow removal and related costs will cost the state between $20 million and $30 million -- and possibly up to $65 million -- triple its budget, said Laura Rokowski, spokeswoman for the Maryland Highway Administration. Maryland and other states have applied for federal disaster assistance, which would defray some of the cost. The Virginia Department of Transportation believes the storm could cost the state as much as $30 million, putting it above its snow removal budget for the season, said transportation spokeswoman Joan Morris. The storm's economic damage also extended to lost revenue for retailers who had counted on income from Presidents Day sales. The inclement weather kept many shoppers and retail employees at home. Washington federal offices closed Tuesday
U.S. government offices -- closed Monday for the Presidents Day holiday -- were shut down in the nation's capital again Tuesday because of the foot and a half of snow that blanketed the Washington area. Emergency services are operating. In Garrett County, Maryland, as many as 40 inches of snow covered the ground, the National Weather Service said. In Berkeley Springs, in northeastern West Virginia, 37 inches had fallen by midafternoon Monday, the weather service said. More than a foot of snow fell over much of New Jersey, southeastern Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, Maryland, northern Delaware, southwestern Connecticut and northern Virginia by the end of the day Monday. Rhode Island was hit hard as well. "I couldn't even open my front doors this morning," Cynthia Ferguson, of Rumford, said. "It was cozy yesterday; now I have cabin fever." John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City had been buried under 25 inches of snow between midnight Sunday and noon Monday, said Michelle Agora, a meteorologist with the weather service in Sterling, Virginia. (More on airline aftermath) "That's an incredible amount; that's two inches per hour," the native Minnesotan said. "People say, 'Oh, you're used to things like this.' But [in Minnesota,] we don't usually get that much snow in one day. It usually falls over the course of a winter." CNN producers Beth Lewandowski and Rich Dubroff contributed to this report Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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