Huge Snow Storm Wreaks Havoc in East Coast
December 28, 2010
The two day long blizzard that struck the eastern portion of the US paralyzed airports, roads and even rail lines, leaving hundreds of thousands of weary travelers stranded. In New York, passengers on an upper-level subway were stuck inside freezing and without food or water for six hours. Some passengers were crying, others were complaining and all of them were very stressed out and tired.
A large portion of the East Coast struggled Monday to dig themselves out from a wicked two day blizzard that buried airports, froze train tracks and subways and knocked down power lines. The storm hit during one of the country’s busiest travel periods.
Strong winds and very heavy snow showers stretching from North Carolina up to Maine forced more than 5,000 flights to be canceled, which crippled air travel all across the United States. It is thought that the mess may not be unraveled until this coming Friday, which is the beginning of another holiday weekend that typically consists of scores of Americans traveling to celebrate New Years Eve with friends and family.
There are hundreds of towns and cities completely paralyzed under deep snow. Many people had to be rescued from their vehicles on snow-covered roadways throughout the east and thousands of commuters in New York City found themselves standing and waiting for subways that never arrived. Amtrack put a halt on all trains running from NYC to Maine due to heavy drifting on tracks, although a few rail lines were able to be opened again on Monday. Greyhound as well as numerous other bus lines also canceled routes.
A state of emergency was declared in Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia so that power could be restored, snow-covered roadways cleared and some sense of normalcy could be found. Before the powerful storm swept out to sea and into the record books, New York City was bombarded with two feet of snow and winds gusting to 60mph brought a large portion of the Big Apple to a complete standstill.
Hundreds of drivers merely gave up as many vehicles, including police cars, were simply left on streets in New York’s Upper West Side, causing more problems for street crews attempting to plow the snow to the sides of the streets. Cross-country skiers were seen in Brooklyn gliding down the center of major thoroughfares as kids rollicked in the deep snow. At JFK International, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International airports, terminals were turned into makeshift shelters as tired and frustrated travelers camped out on cots, benches and floors.
