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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

East Coast digs out after massive weekend blizzard

Ross Munroe digs out his car in Richmond, Va., Monday, Jan. 25, 2016. The storm dropped snow from the Gulf Coast to New England. (Steve Helber / Associated Press)
Associated Press

East Coast residents buried by a weekend blizzard faced slippery roads, spotty transit service and shuttered schools and government offices Monday. In North Carolina, thousands were without electricity.

NEW JERSEY

Commuters heading to work in New Jersey found major highways clear following the major storm that clobbered the state. However, many schools were closed Monday because snow remains a problem on local roads. Drivers were advised to be cautious because of slick spots, especially on highway ramps. State troopers responded to 301 crashes and helped 1,635 motorists during the storm.

Officials began to assess the beach erosion and flood damage caused by the snowstorm, which churned the surf and caused tides to swell in southern New Jersey. Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin on Monday planned to visit the Ortley Beach section of Toms River, the Holgate section of Long Beach Township, Stone Harbor and North Wildwood.

Many homes were flooded on North Wildwood’s west side. Cape May, Stone Harbor and Ocean City saw record flooding. Gov. Chris Christie said the flooding wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

NEW YORK

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio encouraged people to leave their plowed-in cars all week after a one-day record of 26.6 inches of snow fell in Central Park. New York’s transit authority said partial service on the Long Island Rail Road was restored on three of its 12 branches and diesel train service was operating on three other branches. The problems were due to switches and tracks that were refrozen overnight. New York City subways, buses and Metro-North Railroad service were operating on a normal schedule Monday.

Snow-covered cars and driveways blocked by snow from plows are causing headaches for many New Yorkers. Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, resident Peter Quamina said Monday that he spent hours over the weekend shoveling out the front of his driveway only for it to be blocked again by sanitation plows.

The director of a charter school in Brooklyn, Wanda Morales, said trains will be the preferred option for many of her teachers. Normally the street parking around the school is reserved for teachers, but that’s suspended until Wednesday.

NORTH CAROLINA

Thousands of people in North Carolina still have no electricity. Duke Energy reported more than 11,000 customers were without service early Monday. At least six people have died from the storm in the state, all from traffic accidents.

PENNSYLVANIA

The snowstorm crippled a stretch of the Pennsylvania turnpike, stranding more than 500 vehicles on a 16-mile stretch in Somerset and Bedford counties, about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The Capitol complex in Harrisburg and the Philadelphia and Reading state office buildings were closed for non-essential employees. Many schools were closed Monday because crews were still clearing local roads. Commuters who ride buses were to expect delays along snow-covered streets.

VIRGINIA

A Virginia couple refused to allow the snowstorm to ruin their wedding. WSET-TV reports that Michael and Emilee Ellsworth of Lynchburg were nearly forced to call off their wedding Saturday at Boonsboro Country Club.

Snow was blowing across hills and roads, making travel dangerous for the couple and their guests. They canceled the day at the country club but made a last-minute decision to have an intimate ceremony at their pastor’s home. They said the date (1-23) was already engraved on the groom’s ring, so there was no turning back.

On Sunday, the weather cleared and they walked down the aisle at the country club in front of a packed room.

In more somber news, the state reported eight storm-related deaths.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin was trying to get back to Washington on Monday morning, but the Illinois Democrat doesn’t know if he’ll be able to make it.

“Most of us who spend part of our lives in Washington know to expect the worst when it comes to snow,” he said. “I knew the forecast was enough to cause a problem.”

Federal offices were closed Monday and officials asked people to stay off roads as the cleanup continued.

Reagan National Airport tweeted that it saw its first flights Monday. Dulles International Airport expected to resume flights Monday. Flights resumed at Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport on Sunday.

The zoo remained closed but a video of its giant panda Tian Tian making snow angels got tens of millions of views.

WEST VIRGINIA

Most schoolchildren got yet another day off, as many were closed last week due to snowy weather and the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. West Virginia University was covered by up to 2 feet of snow. School officials said roads, parking lots and sidewalks still need to be cleared.