New York defends storm shutdown

NEW YORK, United States - New York authorities on Tuesday vigorously defended a decision to shut down America's biggest city for a storm that skirted the Big Apple, dumping the worst snow on Long Island and New England.

Travel bans were lifted, public transport resumed and parks reopened in the city of eight million people, easing many of the measures put in place as Winter Storm Juno moved in on Monday.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city got only a fraction of the two feet (60 centimeters) of snow that had been widely predicted in the 48 hours leading up to the storm.

Nevertheless UN headquarters, schools, museums and numerous shops and restaurants remained closed Tuesday.

The National Weather Service warned that life-threatening conditions persisted along the coast from Long Island into Connecticut and Massachusetts, where more than two feet of snow blanketed some areas.

"You plan the best you can and you lean toward safety," New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo told a news conference under a barrage of questioning.

He conceded there were likely to be "some" loss of business, but said he had no estimates.

"It may actually have brought us back to full operating capacity sooner but I do not criticize weather forecasters. I learn," Cuomo said.

The clean-up is expected to continue until Wednesday, when schools will reopen, and city and state employees will return to work.

Broadway theaters announced that most shows would go ahead Tuesday as planned, after the Great White Way went dark Monday.

A 'no-brainer'

De Blasio, who repeatedly warned before the storm struck that it was likely to be one of the worst in the city's history, fended off accusations that he had been needlessly alarmist.

"To me, it was a no-brainer. We had to take precautions to keep people safe. God forbid this storm had not moved east, we would then have been hit," he said.

Had travel not been banned, city residents would have been in possible mortal danger, and any economic impact would have been far more negative had there been more destruction, he said.

"We are going to be very forceful in our messages to people when we sense danger. This is what you saw in the last 48 hours," De Blasio said.

On the streets of Manhattan, there were mixed feelings about whether the authorities had over-reacted.

"This is a mere dusting and I've been here for my whole life, with a little bit in London, and this is ridiculous, when they call it a storm," said financial consultant Curtis Brill.

Jennifer Daly, who comes from New Orleans but works on New York's Fifth Avenue, took it in stride, saying she was used to similar hype about hurricanes that do not always turn out as severe as warned.

"People do have to be cautious and ice and driving do not mix, so it's better to take precautions and not have accidents," she said.

Air travel disrupted

In the end, snowfall varied throughout the New York area, with some parts of the city receiving as little as four inches -- far short of the city's record 26.9 inches in February 2006.

Long Island was however still being hard hit with up to 20 inches of snow, and easternmost Suffolk County continues to see blizzard-like conditions and face "serious issues," Cuomo said.

County police confirmed that a teenage boy died late Monday in a sledding accident.

Cuomo lifted the travel ban, which was imposed at 11:00 pm Monday, at 8:00 am (1300 GMT). Limited service on city rail and subway lines resumed an hour later.

Service was expected to be back to normal by Wednesday.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also lifted the travel ban in his state, but officials in both states nevertheless warned against all but essential travel.

Driving bans were still in effect in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Flight disruptions are still extensive. Around 5,250 flights within, to and from the United States have been cancelled for Tuesday and Wednesday, according to flightaware.com.

Officials said virtually all flights at New York's LaGuardia airport were cancelled Tuesday as well as most at Newark and John F. Kennedy international airports.

In Boston, 85 percent of flights were cancelled, said flightaware.com.

Thousands were without power along the coast of Massachusetts, including on Nantucket Island, where some were evacuated from their homes, local media reported.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

First blizzard of 2015 pounds East Coast

JERSEY CITY, NJ - Jersey City residents woke up to piles and piles of snow after winter storm Juno pounded the North East Coast.

Heavy snow and ice accumulated overnight.

In Jersey City's Little Manila, a couple of Filipinos rushed to remove about eight inches of snow before their rooftop gave way.

Residents spent their morning cleaning up winter storm Juno's mess.

But the conditions were not as bad as predicted at least in Jersey City and in nearby New York City.

"We did what was necessary to keep people safe. By the way, by getting everyone off the road, the sanitation department could get out there, and now we'll get back to normal much more quickly," said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Blizzard warnings and statewide travels bans that went into effect at 11 p.m. Monday night have been lifted.

The National Weather Service said the forecasted scenario of 30 inches of snow fizzled out as the storm passed further east than anticipated.

Pinoy postal worker Freddie Templo said, "Ok yung state preparedness nila na may maaga silang warning, cautions for safety."

Nevertheless, it's still a snow day for many residents including Filipino store clerk Ramon Lagasca.

"Walang pasok ngayon at saka bukas, tatawag lang kami kung anong oras kami magsisimula bukas, so hindi namin alam bukas kung paano," Ramon Lagasca said.

Businesses were affected as people heeded warnings to stay home.

Store worker Herman Bebita said, "Maraming tao dapat. Gawa ng weather na di maganda, walang lumalabas dahil sa taas ng yelo o sa sama ng panahon."

But the brunt of the monster storm fell in Massachusetts.

Thousands are without power. The storm is expected to move out late Tuesday night.

Thanks to the travel ban, plows worked overnight to make streets passable and public transportation up to speed.

Read more from Balitang America.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Northeast US braves 'crippling' blizzard, transit systems shut

NEW YORK/MAPLEWOOD, N.J. - A massive, wind-whipped blizzard slammed into the U.S. Northeast on Monday, creating havoc for more than 60 million people and forcing New York City to shut down on a scale not seen since Superstorm Sandy devastated the region in 2012.

The potentially historic storm which could affect 20 percent of the U.S. population, caused at least six states up and down the East Coast to declare emergencies, forced the cancellation of thousands of flights, closed schools and major mass transit systems - including the New York City subway.

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that the "life-threatening blizzard" could dump a "crippling snowfall" of as much as 3 feet (90 cm) on the region.

Coastal flood warnings were issued, with tides in the New York metro area expected to be as much 3 feet higher than normal early Tuesday morning.

DRIVING PROHIBITED; BRIDGES, TUNNELS CLOSE

Driving bans in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts brought the region to a standstill amid near white-out conditions, with the George Washington Bridge, Lincoln and Holland tunnels as well as major mass transportation throughout the city closing at 11 p.m ET (0400 GMT).

States of emergency were declared in New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire and New York, where Governor Andrew Cuomo urged people to stay indoors.

Cuomo announced a travel ban for all but emergency vehicles on every road in 13 counties in southern New York state, including New York City, suburban Westchester and Long Island, with the threat of a $300 fine for violators.

"If you are in your car and you are on any road, town, village, city, it doesn't matter, after 11 o'clock, you will technically be committing a crime," Cuomo said. "It could be a matter of life and death so caution is required."

Before roads closed, Uber, the app-based ride-hailing service that has been criticized for jacking up prices at times of high demand, told New York City customers it would charge no more than 2.8 times the usual fare for trips during the snowstorm.

Earlier, as mass transit began curtailing service, Wall Street traders rushed home or hunkered down in hotels. Exchanges, however, remained open.

The storm also poses the latest challenge to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has been under fire in recent weeks from police who criticized his support of public protests about white police violence against black men. In the last major storm de Blasio was vilified for keeping schools open.

The NWS issued a blizzard warning from New Jersey to Maine, with conditions worsening overnight and wind gusting to over 50 mph (80 kph) in the New York City area.

With Boston expected to bear the brunt of the storm with near hurricane force winds predicted on Tuesday, Mayor Martin Walsh urged residents to report homeless people who need shelter, check on elderly neighbors and stay inside for the duration of the blizzard.

Retailers ran short of everything from shovels and snowblowers to basic groceries. At a Shaw's Supermarket in Somerville, Massachusetts, canned food shelves were thinned and checkout lines long. In Brooklyn, grocery store shelves were stripped of bread and bottled water.

"I've been to three or four stores and I can't get any milk or eggs," said Marcy Rivers, waiting in the snow for a bus in Bridgeport, Connecticut. "I don't know what we are going to do now."

SUBWAY SHUTDOWN
The brutal weather paralyzed the New York City metropolitan area, with a shutdown of all subway, bus and commuter rail service on Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road. It was the first time the city subway system was halted because of snow.

New Jersey Transit said on its website it halted commuter trains and buses late on Monday and would not resume service until "conditions permit."

Amtrak suspended service on Tuesday between New York and Boston, and into New York state, Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine.

Vacationers and business travelers faced headaches as airlines canceled around 3,000 U.S. flights, with Boston and New York airports most heavily affected, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. New York authorities also said "virtually all" flights at LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday will be canceled and cancellations at John F. Kennedy International Airport will be "significant."

SCHOOLS CLOSED

The blizzard knocked out entertainment events including Monday night Broadway performances and home games for the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets and shut New York City's zoos, where snow leopards, puffins and polar bears frolicked in privacy.

The United Nations headquarters gave itself a day off on Tuesday. East Coast schools, including New York City with the nation's largest public school system serving 1 million students, and universities, including Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, canceled classes for Tuesday.

"The beauty of this snowstorm is I have midterms this week," said Oliver Stoller, 13, after his school in Maplewood, New Jersey, was canceled for Tuesday and he spent Monday night turning his neighborhood sidewalk into a sledding path.

The biggest snowfall on record in New York City came during the storm of Feb. 11-12, 2006, dropping 26.9 inches (68 cm), according to the city's Office of Emergency Management.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

US East Coast braces for 'historic' blizzard on Monday

A swath of the U.S. East Coast from Philadelphia to New York City to Maine was bracing for a potentially historic blizzard on Monday that is expected to dump as much as 3 feet (90 cm) of snow and snarl transportation for tens of millions of people.

The National Weather Service on Sunday issued a blizzard warning for the northern section of the East Coast from Monday afternoon until Tuesday, placing states from New Jersey to Indiana under winter storm watches and advisories. Airlines were already canceling hundreds of flights ahead of the storm.

"This could be the biggest snowstorm in the history of this city," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference, saying snowfall could reach up to 3 feet.

De Blasio told residents of America's financial capital and most populous city to stay off the roads and to "prepare for something worse than we have seen before."

The biggest snowfall on record in New York City was the storm of Feb. 11-12, 2006, that dropped 26.9 inches (68 cm), according to the city's Office of Emergency Management.

The NWS called the approaching system a "crippling and potentially historic blizzard," with many areas along the East Coast expected to see between 12 to 24 inches (30-60 cm) of snow. The New York City area could be the hardest hit from the storm with lashing winds and snowfall of 30 inches (76 cm) or more in some suburbs.

Delta said on Sunday it was canceling 600 flights because of the blizzard warning for the East Coast. Southwest Airlines said it had canceled about 20 flights and American Airlines had so far canceled a handful.

Cities along the heavily populated East Coast had snowplows and trucks to dispense road salt on standby. Stores have seen a rush of shoppers stocking up on essentials.

"People have been coming in since this morning, buying rock salt and shovels," said Michael Harris, who works at Ace Hardware in Wading River, New York.

The Philadelphia Streets Department said on its Facebook page that crews were preparing for a "messy Monday morning commute." The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation told travelers to postpone travel if necessary and carry emergency kits if they do go out.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation will have its entire fleet of snowplows, including 12 loader-mounted snowblowers, prepared to deploy, the governor's office said.

The NWS expects as much as 8 inches (20 cm) of snow for western Maryland and southern Pennsylvania, while parts of New Jersey through eastern Massachusetts may get 6 to 12 inches (15-30 cm) of snow by Tuesday morning.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com