imageNEW YORK: New York authorities and meteorologists on Tuesday defended a decision to shut down America's biggest city for a storm that skirted the Big Apple, dumping the worst snow east and north.

Travel bans were lifted, public transport resumed and parks reopened in the city of eight million people, easing many of the measures put in place as Winter Storm Juno moved in on Monday.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city got only a fraction of the two feet (60 centimeters) of snow that had been widely predicted in the 48 hours leading up to the storm.

"You plan the best you can and you lean toward safety," said New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo, fending off a barrage of questions.

"It may actually have brought us back to full operating capacity sooner but I do not criticize weather forecasters. I learn."

The clean-up will continue until Wednesday, when schools will reopen, and city and state employees will return to work.

Broadway theaters announced that most shows would go ahead Tuesday as planned, after the Great White Way went dark Monday.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2015

Comments

Comments are closed.