‘Snowzilla’ blizzard blankets eastern US

WASHINGTON — A deadly blizzard with bone-chilling winds and potentially record-breaking snowfall slammed the eastern US Saturday as officials urged millions in the storm’s path to seek shelter, warning the worst is yet to come. US news reports said at least eight people had died by late Friday from causes related to the monster snowstorm, which is expected to last until early Sunday. Forecasters predict the storm could dump more than two feet (61 centimeters) of snow in Washington, DC and the surrounding area by late Saturday, bringing life to a wintry halt as residents ride out the rough weather. “The real teeth of this #winterstorm will be after midnight thru early Sat afternoon. Heavy snow, increasing winds, lightning threat,” the National Weather Service (NWS) tweeted. A blizzard warning was in effect for a large swath of the eastern United States from Washington up to New York. 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. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican candidate for his party’s presidential nomination, left the campaign trail in New Hampshire to oversee the emergency response in his snowbound state. Christie ordered the state’s bus and light rail to stop running at 2 a.m. (0700 GMT) Saturday, then took to Twitter to reassure residents that he had the crisis well in hand. “The overall message is, we will get through the storm. We always do. That is the way we do things in NJ,” the Republican governor tweeted. Several southern states, meanwhile, were also hit by snow and sleet – unusual for the region – with tens of thousands without power. In Kentucky, hundreds of truck drivers and other motorists became stranded for hours overnight on the state’s snow- and ice-slickened roadways. Across the east coast, frantic shoppers emptied grocery store shelves in preparation for the storm, dubbed “Snowzilla” by some US media, and schools and government offices in Washington were all closed. “I think it’s going to be a disaster,” Sharonda Brown, a nurse, said as she waited for an Uber car with a full cart of groceries at a Washington supermarket stormed by shoppers. Winds were expected to pick up overnight, prompting Washington’s police chief Cathy Lanier to urge residents to stay indoors. “With the increasing winds and increasing snow accumulation, now we’re going to see more and more people stranded,” she told CNN. Crews were out clearing the roads throughout the US capital, while others turned to shovels. — AFP