(online.wsj.com)

New York City's sluggish response to the after-Christmas blizzard of 2010 is still costing it a year later, with more than $1.8 million paid out in claims so far, and more claims still pending, the city Comptroller's Office says.

Last year's Dec. 26-27 storm packed a wallop in the Northeast, dropping more than 2 feet of snow in some parts of the city. Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration was criticized for its handling of the foul weather and its aftermath. Streets went unplowed for days, and cars, buses and other vehicles were stranded.

The Comptroller's Office said 1,196 claims were filed with the city in connection with the storm and its aftermath. They included claims from individuals who said they were injured on snowy and icy roads and walkways, and claims for damage to cars and other property from the city's snow removal efforts.

As of Dec. 23, 620 of the claims had been settled for a total payout of $1,855,152.53, the office said. The remaining several hundred claims were being investigated or have been dismissed.

"These claims are among the highest for any storm. There is still a cloud of additional claims hanging over the city, but the silver lining is that agencies have learned from last year's blizzard and seem better prepared," Comptroller John Liu said.

Among the largest settlements was $150,000 for a man who said he had slipped and fallen in a parking lot that had become snowy and icy after it was improperly shoveled by the city, the comptroller's office said. Another $100,000 went to a Brooklyn cemetery where headstones were damaged after snow dumped against a fence caused it to collapse.

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