Northeast Staggered by Record Storm

Snowfall records in Washington, Philadelphia, and Baltimore have been buried by a storm experts say will go down as one of the most disruptive in American history. The storm, the second of back-to-back blizzards, is dying down today, but the federal government will remain closed along with most schools and stores, the AP reports.

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Streets across the Northeast were deserted as most people heeded calls to stay off the roads. Numerous roofs collapsed in the Washington area, including one at a Smithsonian warehouse. Officials are seeking to have Virginia, Maryland, and DC declared disaster areas. Experts believe the damage done by what Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley calls the "swirling double buzz saw" of storms will end up costing more than a billion dollars.
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