WASHINGTON (Reuter) -- Eastern states were paralyzed Monday by a
relentless winter storm that dumped more than two feet of snow in areas from
Washington to New England. 

    Governors in eight states from Georgia to Massachusetts declared limited
or full states of emergencies, as some areas reported record accumulations
over two days. 

    Eight deaths were blamed on the storm. 

    For the most part, government offices, schools and businesses were closed
as were major airports. Mass transit systems struggled to maintain service
and snow removal efforts were hindered by drifting snow and high winds that
created white-out conditions. 

    Appeals, particularly from hospitals, went out to people with four-wheel
drive vehicles to help transport the elderly and sick. In most cases,
residents heeded safety warnings and stayed off the roads. 

    Accumulation varied from several inches along the eastern shore of
Maryland to more than 2 1/2 feet in Philadelphia. The Washington, D.C., area
received two feet and New York City got 22 inches. The storm moved into New
England, still packing a wallop as Connecticut, Rhode Island and
Massachusetts braced for another foot or more of snow by days end. 

    The storm on Sunday affected Tennessee, North Carolina, parts of South
Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and
Massachusetts. 

    In New York, schools were closed for the first time in 18 years as
weather forecasters said the storm could be the worst blizzard in 50 years to
hit the Big Apple. More than 26 inches of snow fell in Central Park in 1947. 

    In Washington, Mother Nature halted the resumption of full government
operations, interrupted for three weeks by the limited federal shutdown
caused by the budget dispute between President Clinton and Congress. 

    Dozens of people were stranded in a subway train in Takoma Park, Md.,
just outside the nation's capital for five hours overnight. 

    In eastern Pennsylvania, all roads were ordered closed to non-emergency
travel. 

    In Massachusetts, state Emergency Management Agency officials were on
alert with fears of serious coastal flooding at the early afternoon time of
high tide. 

    Officials in many states reported a sharp increase in traffic accidents,
but a big decrease in crime. 

12:21 01-08-96