US Blizzard 2016: Big dig begins on East Coast

The people are clearing up after the massive blizzard that virtually crippled the eastern region of US. They have been digging out their cars and clearing roads of snow which reached 3ft (91cm) in five states. As Working week begins, limited flights were set to resume at airports in Washington, where officials said crews were working to dig out runways after the snowstorm.

Some schools and many Government offices in Washington and Maryland will be closed on Monday.

The storm, named "Snowmageddon" and "Snowzilla", has now weakened and headed out into the Atlantic Ocean. At least 29 deaths have been reported since Friday, when the blizzard began, as a result of car accidents, carbon monoxide poisoning and suffered heart attacks while shovelling snow. It affected 85 million people and cutting the power of 300,000 people. Nearly 12,000 flights had to be postponed over the weekend. In central Kentucky, some drivers were stranded along a 35-mile stretch of Interstate 75 for as long as 19 hours, from Friday afternoon to Saturday morning. And as many as 200 vehicles were stuck on Interstate 77 in West Virginia.

One of the hardest-hit spot was Glengary, West Virginia, a small town about 85 miles northwest of Washington, which figures show received 42 inches of snow. Other notable snowfall totals came at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (31 inches), Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (29.2 inches, a record), Washington Dulles International Airport (28 inches), Newark, New Jersey (28 inches), New York's Central Park (26.8 inches, the second-highest total since 1869) and Philadelphia (22 inches). But snow was not the only trouble, 75-mph winds was also recorded which just over hurricane force.

In New Jersey, some residents said they were reeling from flooding that was worse than devastation caused by Superstorm Sandy. The high tide was much higher than anticipated and caught many of the town's 5,000 year-round residents off guard in North Wildwood.

Officials are urging residents to stay off the roads while they are cleared by snow ploughs. New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority has said that almost all public transport services will be running in time for the morning rush hour, including nearly 80% of the overground Long Island Rail Road. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio urged people to leave their cars covered with snow all week, but he tweeted that the city was now "bouncing back".

Courtesy: BBC & CNN

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