A blizzard lashed the U.S. East Coast for the second time in less than a week, wreaking havoc from Washington to New York by forcing government agencies, the United Nations and schools to close, according to Reuters. Some Northeast cities ground to a halt as large amounts of snow fell, coupled with powerful winds that created whiteout conditions. That led the city of Baltimore to order all vehicles off the streets except for emergency personnel. Hundreds of flights were canceled and airlines relaxed ticket policies to allow passengers to change their plans without penalty, moves that could cloud the outlook for an industry already hard hit by the battered economy. The United Nations said its New York headquarters would be closed on Wednesday due to the storm. "I was as excited as all the school kids when I found out the U.N. was having a snow day. But I don't really get the day off, I am still working from home," said Stephanie Dunstan, 33, an Australian who works for the U.N. Development Program. While government offices in Washington were also closed for the third straight day -- at a cost of some $100 million in lost productivity per day -- President Barack Obama was trying to maintain his schedule with a meeting with black leaders to discuss the economy and jobs. The U.S. House of Representatives canceled votes for the week. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Senate would not be in session on Wednesday but would resume work on Thursday. He said he doubted the Senate would have any votes this week. Many congressional hearings were also called off. In New York the storm was expected to worsen later on Wednesday. Some companies were allowing employees to leave the office early and many people worked from home. The busy Metro-North train line between New York and Connecticut said there were 21 percent fewer passengers than usual on Wednesday morning. The New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ, which put some key personnel in hotels on Tuesday night ahead of the storm, said they planned regular sessions on Wednesday. JP Morgan Chase was making cots available in its New York offices for workers who were unable to make it home. SNOWMAGGEDON New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the storm was likely to cost the city's taxpayers about $1 million for every inch that fell. "It's not that bad out, the snow isn't that bad. It's mostly an excuse not to go to work. People freak out. But now that kids have no school, they have to stay home," said Marc Cadiente, 33, who works at a New York design firm. Amtrak passenger rail service warned of limited service along its lucrative Northeast corridor. Among the flights canceled were US Airways' shuttle service between New York, Boston and Washington. State offices in five major Pennsylvania cities were ordered closed, and Maryland and Massachusetts government offices were shut down, with only emergency and essential personnel required to report for duty. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake told CNN that the city has banned all vehicles from the streets except emergency vehicles because of a new weather warning that conditions were "life-threatening." Forecasters said the storm, which has been dubbed "Snoverkill" and "Snowmageddon 2.0," would be packing strong winds that could cause additional power outages in a region already reeling from a major weekend snowstorm. About 20,000 customers were without power in the Baltimore and Washington areas, according to electric companies, Pepco, Dominion and Constellation Energy Group's BG&E. The storm comes as residents were still trying to dig out from weekend snowfalls of 18 (46 cm) to 32 inches (81 cm) from Washington to southern New Jersey. Some struggled to restock refrigerators and clear fallen trees ahead of the new storm. Schools were closed across much of the region, and many canceled classes for the rest of the week. The bus system in the Washington area said it would not operate on Wednesday. The metropolitan area's subway was only operating the underground section of its system. Mutale Nkonde, who works in public relations in New York, said the office would be mostly empty. "We're going to get nothing done today," she said. "But with the bad economy I want to still come in and do what I can."
