Residents along much of the East Coast began to dig out Thursday from a pair record-breaking snowfalls with the past week. It will take a while. Two blizzards in less than a week left the region under a blanket of snow that measured 30-inches or more in many places.
The back-to-back storms paralyzed huge population centers. Public safety officials reported that as many as 100 million Americans were directly and adversely affected by the blizzards and accompanying winds. The storms were epic. At one point during the height of the storm, for example, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said, “We reached the first point in our state’s history where every single county was lit up red to show that we were under blizzard conditions for the entire state.”
The Wednesday storm dumped close to a foot of snow in the nation’s capital and higher amounts in neighboring Maryland and Virginia; about 16 inches in Philadelphia, 23 inches in parts of New Jersey and 10-to-16 inches in and around New York City. That’s in addition to the one-to-two feet of snow deposited in many of the same areas by last weekend’s storm.
The result was predictable. Roads and airports were closed. Businesses and schools shut down. Utility service for millions was interrupted or cut. On Thursday, the federal government in Washington was shut down for a fourth consecutive day. Many school systems and businesses in the region remained closed, as well, a sensible response to requests from officials to stay off the roads so they could be opened for emergency responders, tree crews and utility workers.
By Thursday afternoon, utility crews from the region, heavily augmented by workers from other areas of the country, had restored power to thousands of customers and continued to work to bring power to the 150,000 customers still without it in an area that stretched from Virginia to New Jersey. Road crews reported significant progress in opening main thoroughfares. Many neighborhood and rural roads remained closed, however, and were likely to remain that way for a day or two more.
Airports in the region that were forced to suspend flights during the storm re-opened Thursday, but it will take time for stranded fliers to reach their destinations. A transportation official reported that around 6,000 flights had been canceled Wednesday and that rebooking passengers on those flights while accommodating those with reservations today and over the long holiday weekend will take some time. At this writing, airports were crowded, but operating efficiently.
The season is one for the record books. Baltimore had 72.3 inches of snow so far this winter; the Washington area had 54.9 inches and Philadelphia had 70.3 inches. The previous record for snowiest winters were 62.5 inches in Baltimore, 54.4 inches in Washington; and 65.5 in Philadelphia. The new records are likely to be extended. Several weeks of winter remain.
There are lessons to be learned from the record-breaking storms. Planning helps. Widespread warnings about the impending blizzards enabled most people to prepare to cope with them. There was, fortunately, little loss of life though property damage was extensive. The storms will be remembered for their ferocity and the snow they left behind. They are another reminder, too, that even highly organized modern societies often are unable to cope with the powerful forces of Mother Nature.