New Yorkers make their way through falling snow in New York. Snow and icy rain pelted the US east coast Saturday
REUTERS
Devastation from a rare and deadly October snowstorm lingered in the Northeast Monday, leaving 2.2 million houses without power, closing schools, snarling the morning commute and postponing Halloween fun, reports Reuters.
The storm that raged from West Virginia to Maine from Saturday until
late Sunday was blamed for at least 12 deaths, most of them on slippery
roads.
Many roads were still barricaded to steer traffic away from downed trees and power lines.
Ghoul and goblin decorations were blanketed with record snowfall for
October in many places, such as 32 inches (81 cm) measured in the
western Massachusetts town of Peru, according to the National Weather
Service.
Utility officials said the storm caused more tree damage than most
winter storms because leaves had not yet fallen so trees caught far more
snowfall than usual.
"It was like wet cement that just adhered to trees, branches, leaves
and power lines," said David Graves, spokesman for utility National
Grid.
"That's what really caused the damage, the weight of that snow," he said.
Across the Northeast, about 2.2 million customers remained without power Monday.
Theo Brinkerhoff, 4, who planned to dress as a ghost on Monday but was
forced to wear a heavy sweater and snow boots under his costume to keep
warm, refused to believe it was the bewitching autumn holiday.
"It's not Halloween, because it's still winter," he said while visiting
grandparents in Amherst, Massachusetts, a town still mostly in the
dark.
It will likely be days before power is restored to all residents in
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and other states hit hard by the
storm.
Despite a sunny Monday, several New Jersey Transit train lines going into New York City remained suspended.
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy said 100 state roads were closed and about 200 more partially closed.
Connecticut was particularly hard hit and Malloy called the power
outages in his state the worst in history. As residents escaped homes
without heat and electricity, hotels in central Connecticut were sold
out.
Snow days, usually not tapped until at least after Thanksgiving, were
declared by scores of public schools that remained shut throughout the
Northeast.
While children were delighted with the surprise long weekend, their
parents were advised that because of downed wires, Halloween
trick-or-treat routines should be adjusted so children were home by dark
and an adult accompanied them.
In Worcester, Massachusetts, the city asked parents, schools and
neighbours to postpone Halloween celebrations until Thursday, when the
weather was expected to be warmer and downed trees and power lines would
likely be cleared.
The New Hampshire communities of Manchester and Nashua asked parents to
put off trick or treating and reschedule the annual candy collection
until Sunday, November 6.
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