ANCHORAGE, Alaska—Residents in some parts of Alaska’s largest city woke Thursday to a surprise: up to 18 new inches of snow. The storm, however, caused few headaches in Anchorage. “Luckily, we’re pretty familiar with big snowstorms,” said Chelsea Ward-Waller, a special assistant to the acting mayor. The state closed all Division of Motor Vehicle offices throughout southcentral Alaska on Thursday because of the widespread storm. Anchorage police say compared to March 4, there were more than twice the number of vehicles in distress. However, there were fewer accidents and fewer people sustaining non-life threatening injuries, department spokesman MJ Thim said. This storm was unusual in that east Anchorage, or the side of town closest to the Chugach Mountains, got hammered while the west side, or closet to the ocean, recorded only about 3 inches of snow, said Michael Kutz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Anchorage. “I …