December 12, 1992

Howling like Valkyries on a rampage, a huge prewinter storm packing gusts up to 90 miles an hour and enough rain to submerge a small state struck the New York metropolitan region yesterday. It crippled transportation, commerce and education, flooded wide areas, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes, damaged thousands of buildings and disrupted the lives of millions of people. The storm -- a behemoth that stretched 600 miles along the Atlantic Seaboard from upstate New York to North Carolina -- was not a hurricane, for it lacked a swirling tropical center and sustained winds over 75 m.p.h. But for all practical purposes, it bore down like a hurricane hell bent for treachery.

President-elect Bill Clinton today broadened the political and ideological profile of his emerging Administration, choosing three academics and an environmentalist known for strong advocacy of social causes. A day after he turned to Washington and Wall Street for a notably mainstream economic team, Mr. Clinton today reappeared in the Old Statehouse here with a group of Washington outsiders that included three women.

Other reports on the storm in the New York region and its aftermath are on pages 25-28.

2 Somalis Reach a Truce Leaders of two powerful Somali factions agreed to halt hostilities and remove a dividing line in the capital. But their pact had no immediate effect on fighting elsewhere. Page 6. Iran-Contra Charge Dropped A judge threw out a charge against Caspar W. Weinberger that Republicans contended was brought four days before the election to hurt the Bush campaign. Page 8. A Trip Before Leaving Before they leave their jobs next month, as many as three dozen Bush appointees will visit China at Government expense. Page 11. Woman Named to Head Duke The head of Wellesley College has been named Duke University's new president, joining an elite group of women educators. Page 12.

Retail sales rose for the fifth straight month in November and consumers spent at a much faster pace in October than previously estimated, the Government reported yesterday. Other figures showed a hefty rise in average weekly earnings last month and another jump in consumer confidence in early December.