A deadly blizzard walloped the eastern United States on Saturday, paralysing Washington and other cities under a heavy blanket of snow as officials warned millions of people to remain indoors until th
A deadly blizzard walloped the eastern United States on Saturday, paralysing Washington and other cities under a heavy blanket of snow as officials warned millions of people to remain indoors until the storm eases up.
At least eight people were killed in three states in road accidents, officials said, as snow piled up from Arkansas to New York. Forecasters said the storm — dubbed “Snowzilla” — would last into Sunday as it moved menacingly up the coast.
Thousands of motorists were stranded for hours on an ice-coated highway in Kentucky. Metro and bus networks were shut down in Washington for the entire weekend, and largely shut in Philadelphia and New Jersey on Saturday.
In the capital Washington more than a foot of snow was already on the ground, with another foot expected by midnight.
City police chief Cathy Lanier said whiteout conditions — virtually zero visibility — had been reported in some areas and urged residents to stay indoors so snow ploughs could work to clear the streets.
The storm is expected to affect about 85 million Americans — about one quarter of the US population. Before it’s all over, it could cause more than $1 billion in damage, NWS officials said.
“I wouldn’t say we’re even halfway there yet,” Robert Maloney, director of Baltimore’s office of emergency management, told CNN.
New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a Republican presidential contender, left the campaign trail in New Hampshire to oversee the emergency response in his snowbound state.
Mr Christie ordered the state’s bus and light rail to stop running at 2 am on Saturday.
“The overall message is, we will get through the storm. We always do. That is the way we do things in NJ,” Mr Christie tweeted.
Several southern states were also hit by snow and sleet — unusual for the region — with tens of thousands without power.
