At least 700,000 people are currently without power in the Northeast of the United States after a record-breaking blizzard hit the area this weekend. According to government officials in the region, four people have been reported to have been killed in the storm. 2,200 flights were canceled on Saturday, according to FlightAware, which tracks airline delays. Boston's Logan International Airport and Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, were shut down. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick told a Boston radio station he would re-evaluate a vehicle travel ban he introduced on Friday, but would lift it only “when it's safe to do so.” Winds have reached near hurricane-force levels and continued to hammer the Northeast on Saturday, shutting down almost any road and street activity. The mammoth storm that stretched from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic dumped more than 3 feet of snow across the Northeast, the National Weather Service said. Coastal blizzard and flood warnings were in effect as the storm moved slowly eastward out to sea. Stratford, Connecticut, Mayor John Harkins said he had never seen such a heavy snowfall, with rates reaching 6 inches an hour. “Even the plows are getting stuck,” Harkins told local WTNH television. The storm centered its fury on Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, with the most snowfall, 38 inches, in Milford, Connecticut. Authorities ordered non-essential vehicles to stay off roads to allow snow plow crews to clear them. The ban left normally busy arteries such as Interstate 93 in Massachusetts nearly deserted. Residents in Boston told Bikyanews.com on Friday that they were staying home until the storm passed, saying that to try and leave would be “suicide.” “We have a bunch of snacks, food and a lot of games to play so we can keep inside and try to stay warm,” said David, a 32-year-old computer technician. The storm dumped 29.3 inches of snow on Portland, Maine, breaking a 1979 record. Winds gusted to 83 miles an hour at Cuttyhunk, New York, and brought down trees across the region. BN
