Horsham Declares Disaster Emergency

Horsham Township has joined Hatboro in declaring a disaster emergency as Hurricane Sandy zeros in on eastern Montgomery County. 

Horsham is anticipating record amounts of rainfall, high winds, and flooding conditions due to impending weather conditions from Hurricane Sandy. As of Monday at about 2 p.m., Gary Bissig, the township's emergency management deputy coordinator, said all of the township roads were open. 

"We have had no notable calls," Bissig told Patch.

By 6 p.m., Bissig said Horsham had "some scattered power outages," primarily in the western end of the township. 

As of 11 a.m. on Monday, the Horsham Township Community Center had been activated as a warming center for those displaced from the storm, Bissig said. But, he said, no one had relocated there. Montgomery County also opened three area shelters, including one at Cheltenham High School.

"We are ready to go and waiting for the worst to hit," Bissig said. 

Local areas that commonly flood and low-lying areas will most likely experience flooding, according to an article posted on Horsham's Web siteesidents were advised to monitor floodwaters and waterways near their homes. As floodwaters rise, it may become necessary to evacuate homes for higher ground.

Horsham's emergency crews will be working to meet all needs and may be actively engaged. The township is encouraging all residents who have not left their homes, to consider leaving on their own if they are able to safely do so, before it becomes necessary to have emergency crews evacuate an area.

Emergency - If you have a true emergency that requires police, fire or EMS, please call 911.

Non-emergency – For any non-emergency issues, residents are urged to call the Horsham Township Police at (215) 643-8284.

Power Outages - In the event of a power outage, please call PECO at 1-800-841-4141. Reporting gas and electric outages to this number assures that the specific address is added to the database which is used to determine which locations will be prioritized for repair crew response.

Roadways - If you do not have to go out, please stay inside during the storm. If you are out in the storm, do not drive into flood waters or standing pools of water. Watch for debris, downed trees and limbs and utility lines, which could be live. If you encounter a flooded roadway, do not attempt to drive through it, please find an alternate route. Also, it is now illegal for drivers to go around a traffic control device that indicates a road closure due to hazardous conditions.