East Struggles to Bounce Back From Blizzard

North Carolina struggled Wednesday with the aftermath of a record 2-foot snowfall in a part of the country that does not have much experience with blizzards.

The snowstorm left thousands of people stuck in cold, dark homes. Raleigh and Richmond, Va., remained virtually paralyzed Wednesday. More than 140,000 homes and businesses remained without electricity in the Carolinas.

Travel was especially treacherous along Interstate 85 south of the Virginia-North Carolina line. The road was virtually shut down by jackknifed and abandoned tractor-trailers.

Much of the Eastern Seaboard got up to 2 feet of snow, which snarled roads and closed schools and government offices. But most main roadways were almost back to normal by Wednesday night.

One major exception was in Maryland, where the storm hit hard. Many streets and roads remained buried under snow, though plows were making headway, officials said.

Tuesday’s snowstorm, accompanied by ice and winds, knocked down trees and plunged homes and businesses into darkness.

The storm was blamed for one traffic death in North Carolina and two in South Carolina. Two people were found outside dead of exposure in South Carolina, and police said they suspected exposure in the death of a North Carolina man.

Raleigh-Durham International Airport, where 20 inches of snow fell, was to reopen today.