Tuesday, October 30, 2012
At a 9 a.m. press conference Tuesday, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett said the worst of Hurricane Sandy is over, but there are 1.3 million without power and two deaths.
“You could say we dodged a bullet,” said Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett at a 9 a.m. press conference. “We don’t have a shore line, so New Jersey and New York got it worse.” However, as of this morning, there are 1.3 million homes without power around Southeastern Pennsylvania after Hurricane Sandy hit land last night. "If you're one of those without power," Corbett said, "you probably don't feel like you dodged a bullet." State officials urge patience. All utility companies have brought in crews from other states to get the grid up and running. And there are nearly 700 active emergency shelters in operation now. Corbett also said two people were killed in Pennsylvania Monday — an 8-year-old boy in Susquehanna County and a 62-year-old …
Here's an interactive map of Sandy's effects in the Bucks County and Montgomery County Patch area, based on current information.
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Tuesday, October 30, 2012
UPDATED: Wednesday, 8 p.m. Bucks and Montgomery County Patch staff will be updating this map throughout the day on Monday to reflect the developing impacts of Hurricane Sandy. According to some estimates, more than 10 million people were predicted to lose power in the Northeast as the storm progresses. Full restoration of power to the Bucks County and Montgomery County areas may take up to a week to complete, according to PECO. PECO reports more than 850,000 customers are without power on Oct. 30. That makes it the most damaging storm in the company's history.
Monday, October 29, 2012
I-76 and I-476 are among the closed state roads Monday night.
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, October 29, 2012
PennDOT announced Monday that several state highways, including I-95, I-476 and I-76, would be closed to all non-emergency vehicles until 2 a.m. Tuesday morning in response to Hurricane Sandy. The transportation department closed "the full length of Interstates 95 and 676; I-476 (non-toll portion); I-76 from the Pa. Turnpike to Passyunk Avenue and the U.S. Route 1 Extension in Philadelphia to all traffic except emergency vehicles," according to a release. The PA turnpike remains open. Before the closing, all area highways were placed under a 45 mph speed restriction. Additionally, NBC 10 is reporting that all Delaware River Port Authority bridges, the Ben Franklin, the Betsy Ross, the Commodore Barry and the Walt Whitman, are closed …
Horsham is expecting record amounts of rainfall, high winds and flooding stemming from Hurricane Sandy.
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…
Many occupants of the 79-unit Woodwinds complex in Hatboro voluntarily evacuated ahead of Hurricane Sandy, an official said.
Joann Gefter has no intention of reliving a near-death situation to leave her flooding Hatboro home. This time, instead of waiting until Pennypack Creek waters are raging and filling the first floor of her home at Woodwinds with water, fish and smelly debris, Gefter, her husband Gary and their 1-year-old daughter, Tatum, left while the going was good, on Sunday. "We learned our lesson the first time," Mrs. Gefter told Patch in an e-mail Monday afternoon. "My family packed up what we needed and went to my parents in Philly. Our neighbors left too." For more Hatboro and Horsham Hurricane Sandy news and updates, subscribe to our free newsletter,"like" us on Facebook or follow @Hatboropatch on Twitter. Mrs. Gefter, Gary and their …
PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has reduced speed to 45 mph beginning at 10 a.m. today on various roads.
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, October 29, 2012
Due to the dangerous wind speeds associated with Hurricane Sandy, beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, the PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will temporarily reduce the speed limit to 45 mph and restrict certain types of vehicles on some southeast Pennsylvania roadways. PennDOT is urging motorists to avoid unnecessary travel but those who must head out will see speeds reduced to 45 mph on the following highways: Also, in conjunction with similar restrictions imposed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, these types of vehicles will be prohibited from traveling on the speed-restricted roadways: PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission may expand these restrictions to other parts of the state later today. Vehicles in these …
Here are guidelines from the USDA regarding the safety of food in a refrigerator without power.
With Hurricane Sandy predicted to hit us hard today, losing power is a threat. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service prepared a fact sheet for keeping food safe during an emergency, including losing power. The USDA says to "keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature." But, the refrigerator will only keep food safely cold for about four hours if unopened during a power outage, according to the USDA. A full freezer will hold the temperature for about 48 hours if full (24 hours of half full), the USDA says. The USDA emphasizes "never to taste food to determine its safety" and says that you should "evaluate each item separately." Generally, if the temperature in the …
Share up-to-the-minute news, tweets and information with your neighbors as Patch editors across the region live blog the 'Frankenstorm.'
- PUBLIC SAFETY
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Monday, October 29, 2012
Forecasters and state officials say Hurricane Sandy will be unprecedented — and Patch sites across the region want to provide you with up-to-the-minute information. Please add information to this blog — you can add photos, news about power outages, flooding, road closures or what's happening in your front yard. To add your comments, just start typing in the text box above. You can upload photos, too, to show the world what this unprecedented storm looks like as it passes through our neighborhoods. If you are using Twitter to share information, use the hashtags #sandypa or #buckssandy or #montgomerysandy and the tweets will appear automatically in the live stream here. You also can use the comments section of this article, as well. Whatever…
Sunday, October 28, 2012
All SEPTA transportation will be suspended for Sandy.
The following information is provided by SEPTA. SEPTA will suspend all services effective at the end of Sunday's service schedule due to the expected arrival of severe weather from Sandy. The shutdown will start at approximately 12:30 a.m., at the conclusion of daily service schedules. The service suspension covers all modes of SEPTA travel, including Regional Rail, the Market-Frankford Line, the Broad Street Line, city and suburban bus and trolley routes, and the Norristown High Speed Line. CCT Paratransit service will be available for reserved dialysis patients only as long as safe operations are possible. SEPTA is advising customers to adjust their travel plans as soon as possible prior to the shutdown. Those who do not have to travel…
Horsham officials are asking that residents reserve 9-1-1 phone calls for situations where a response is necessary from emergency personnel.
With Hurricane Sandy on the way and a greater likelihood for major flooding and power outages, Horsham Township is reminding residents that 9-1-1 calls should only be made in instances where fire, police, or EMS service is needed. Power outages should be reported directly to your utility: for PECO, call 1-800-841-4141.
TMFCAQ
8:13 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Masked.... I wonder why we tolerate PECO this way? Perhaps it's because once the power turns on, we forget and go about our lives. Yet here we are today..... more ›