A major snowstorm forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights in the New York region's three international airports on Thursday, dpa reported. All public schools and non-emergency government offices were closed, while transportation, from buses to subways, was reduced to a crawl. Mayor Michael Bloomberg declared a weather emergency as New York endured its fifth snowstorm of this winter, dumping 37 centimetres of fresh snow over most the city, with many streets still coated in ice from previous snowfalls. New Yorkers have had to struggle since Christmas when a blizzard buried parts of the city with up to 60 centimetres of snow. News reports said hundreds of flights were canceled at John F Kennedy International Airport, La Guardia Airport and Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey. Wall Street remained open for trading, but many offices across the city were closed. UN headquarters also closed due to the inclement weather. Bloomberg and City Hall's sanitation officials, who were strongly criticized for failing to effectively deal with the Christmas blizzard, this time sent out more than 2,000 salt spreaders, snow plows and other vehicles to clear the streets. The storm affected the eastern coast of the United States, from Washington to Boston. The New Jersey Transit in Thursday suspended all services. In the US capital, the storm downed power lines, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of customers since Wednesday. -- SPA
