Cities scrambled Sunday to dig themselves out from the snow and ice of a massive blizzard that clobbered the East Coast, but officials warned residents to remain vigilant even as the storm heads into the Atlantic Ocean.

Perhaps New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo put it best when he said, “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

That especially applies to New Jersey, where flooding remains a concern as residents watch high water flood a number of cities along the coast.

While areas worked to return life to normal, the Long Island Rail Road, which “sustained significant damage during the storm,” remained down, and officials in New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia warned that pooling water could refreeze, complicating Monday morning commutes.

Jason Pellegrini shot this video of flooding in Sea Isle City, #NewJersey, on Saturday. #Snowzilla #blizzard https://t.co/f0cpQHz7DL

— Josh Berlinger (@j_berlingerCNN) January 24, 2016

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said her city had experienced a “historic snow event” and promised city workers were working aggressively to get roads and services back on track. She asked residents to do their part by using common sense. Before you go out, she warned, decide first if it’s absolutely necessary. It not, stay home,

“Read a book. Watch a movie. That’s our hashtag,” she said.

Record snowfalls

In Philadelphia, the blizzard warning ended overnight, and the city had more than 400 plows in the street and was scheduled to conclude emergency operations at some point Sunday, said Samantha Phillips, director of the city Office of Emergency Management.

Broadway shows are back on schedule a day after the blizzard shut NYC’s theater district. https://t.co/wvMLE20bLt pic.twitter.com/TUKPwQB5xg

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) January 24, 2016

The sun and rising temperatures in some areas Sunday should aid cleanup efforts, but meteorologists continue to worry about ice.

The storm has killed at least 14 people, grounded thousands of flights and shut down travel in many of the nation’s largest cities. One of the hardest-hit locales was Glengary, West Virginia, a small town about 85 miles northwest of Washington, which preliminary figures show received 42 inches of snow.

Other notable snowfall totals came at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (31 inches), Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (29.2 inches, a record), Washington Dulles International Airport (28 inches), Newark, New Jersey (28 inches), New York’s Central Park (26.8 inches, the second-highest total since 1869) and Philadelphia (22 inches).

But snow wasn’t the only product of the storm. Dewey Beach, Delaware, and Virginia’s Langley Air Force Base both reported 75-mph winds, just over hurricane force.

This nighttime view shows historic blizzard as it moved north of Mid-Atlantic at 1:55 am ET: https://t.co/nFeGaaEIuv pic.twitter.com/Q30MKzjAwg

— NASA (@NASA) January 24, 2016

‘Like a tsunami’

Jason Pellegrini woke up Saturday morning at his home in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, expecting to see flooding. It eventually came.

“I heard commotion out my window and I looked and I saw the raging water,” he said. “It came in to the low-lying areas and it rushed fast.”

The restaurant Pellegrini owns was damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, but he says this surge came from the back bay rather than from the ocean.

Coastal flooding remains a big concern for much of New Jersey due to the timing of the storm.

“I expect our town to be under considerable water,” Pellegrini said.

After Sandy, sand dune walls were built to help keep water from flooding ashore.

They worked well during this storm, helping to push back waves that were as high as 20 feet, said Vincent Jones with the Atlantic County Office of Emergency Preparedness.

“They are basically the first line of defense,” he said.

– CNN