East begins big dig: Countless travelers still stranded in Mid-Atlantic

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February 7, 2010

Anonymous The Tribune-Democrat Sun Feb 07, 2010, 11:22 PM EST

WASHINGTON — Planes were grounded, trains stood still and Greyhound buses weren’t rolling in the Mid-Atlantic region on Sunday, leaving stranded travelers wondering when they’ll be able to escape the icy, gray mess created by a major snowstorm.

Hundreds of thousands of homes were without power with temperatures below freezing all day, and utilities warned it could be days before electricity is restored. Plows had scraped down to bare pavement on some main thoroughfares while not touching streets in other areas buried by 2 feet of snow or more.

For many in the nation’s capital, meanwhile, today will be another day to dig out. Federal agencies that employ 230,000 will be closed, and many school districts across the region were giving students a snow day. For stranded out-of-towners, however, the thought of extending the weekend by a day wasn’t much to smile about.

The National Weather Service called the storm “historic” and reported a foot of snow in parts of Ohio and 2 feet or more in Washington, Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Parts of Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia got closer to 3 feet.

Many roads reopened but officials continued to warn residents that highways were still icy, a

remnant from the storm President Barack Obama called “Snowmageddon.”

In Washington, the sun was finally shining Sunday and the sounds of shovels could be heard on streets. In contrast to Saturday, when people were frolicking on the barren streets, thoughts turned Sunday to cleanup.

The snow snapped tree limbs onto power lines, and several roofs collapsed under the weight.

Some people without electricity worried whether the power would return in time for Sunday night’s Super Bowl kickoff – though it was an afterthought for others just trying to stay warm.

In Philadelphia, 28.5 inches of snow fell during the storm, just shy of the record 30.7 inches during a January 1996 blizzard.

Almost 18 inches was recorded at Washington’s Reagan National Airport, which had canceled all flights. That’s the fourth-highest storm total for the city, and airport officials haven’t decided when flights would resume. At nearby Dulles International Airport in Virginia, the record was shattered with 32 inches.

Authorities say most public transportation in Philadelphia has resumed. In Pittsburgh, bus service restarted but light-rail wasn’t running. Washington’s Metro trains were to be limited today to underground rails, and its buses were going to operate on a very limited basis.

In Mount Lebanon, a suburb south of Pittsburgh, Robb and Meredith Hartlage were again trying to clear the sidewalk in front of their house.

“We did a couple hours yesterday. I would say about four hours mixed with sledding,” said Robb Hartlage, 40, who said he’s not too old to play in the snow. He acknowledged, however, that the shoveling was hard work.

“I made some ‘old man’ noises when I got out of bed,” he said.

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