THE EAST coast of the United States, still clawing through mountains of snow left by one of the worst blizzards in decades, closed down anew yesterday as another storm hit the region.
The capital ground to a halt as the federal government closed down again after opening just one day this week. As more snow began falling in the early morning hours, schools remained closed in Washington and Philadelphia and no flights were arriving at Washington area airports.
Snow, poor visibility and ice contributed to a collision between two buses near downtown Pittsburgh in the morning that critically injured 16 people and left at least 27 more with less serious injuries, police said.
Since last weekend, more than 85 deaths caused by the snow have been reported from North Carolina to Maine.
"This is the worst natural disaster we ever had", the mayor of Philadelphia, Mr Ed Rendell, said on CNN, referring to the past week's weather.
After two inches of snow fell on the capital in the early morning, the Office of Personnel Management announced another government shutdown just a day after it had reopened following, last weekend's heavy snowfall.
In cities still floundering in up to three feet of snow left by the weekend storm, shoppers packed into stores to stock up on necessities.
President Clinton announced on Thursday that federal disaster? assistance would flow to states hit hardest by the last blizzard.
In Washington DC, the National Weather Service forecast snows of four to nine inches. New York City and Philadelphia were both likely to see snow as well as freezing rain throughout the day, the agency said.