RSOE EDIS: USA - Snow Storm - 2009.12.20

RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service Budapest, Hungary RSOE EDIS ALERTMAIL

2009-12-20 17:59:14 - Snow Storm - USA EDIS CODE: SS-20091220-24242-USA Date & Time: 2009-12-20 17:59:14 [UTC] Area: USA, State of New York, , New York City Damage level: Moderate (Level 2) Not confirmed information! Description: Around New York City, the brunt of the storm hit Long Island, with whiteout conditions. Nearly 25 inches was recorded in Upton by Sunday. Nearly 11 inches of snow fell on New York City by Sunday morning, and the storm could be the worst the city has seen since about 26 inches fell on Central Park in February 2006, National Weather Service meteorologist Patrick Maloit said. Pragmatic New York Mayor Bloomberg encouraged residents and holiday visitors to take advantage of school and event cancelations by seeing a Broadway show. The mayor says city retailers weren't hard hit by the storm Saturday, because the snow held off until late in the day. Even as the storm winded down in the New York area, conditions remained treacherous and drivers were advised to stay off the roads, Maloit said. Delays were expected on bus, subway and train routes. Near Farmingdale, N.Y., on Long Island, about 150 people were stranded on a Long Island Rail Road train for more than five hours by a combination of snow drifts, icing, traffic problems and equipment failures due to the weather. The train eventually had to be towed to a nearby station and the passengers put on a second train. No injuries were reported. Airports in the Northeast that were jammed up in the storm Saturday were working their way back to normal operations. About 800 flights at the New York City area's three major airports remained canceled despite clear conditions on the runways. By Sunday morning, one runway at Dulles International Airport in Washington was open, handling arriving flights, spokeswoman Tara Hamilton. At Reagan National, crews were still "moving the huge quantities of snow" dumped on the area, and Hamilton said the airport should be opening for business by midday. Posted:2009-12-20 17:59:14 [UTC] Please DO NOT reply to this message: replies may be treated as errors and result in your subscription being deleted. If you have trouble or other queries, send email to havaria@rsoe.hu RSOE EDIS is operated by the National Association of Radio-Distress Signalling and Infocommunications (RSOE), Budapest, Hungary. Because of the complexity of this system and its dependence on other systems, we cannot be responsible for delays or failures in forwarding or transmission. You're receiving this AlertMail because you subscribed for the service. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Contact: havaria@rsoe.hu