City of Philadelphia Announces Snow Emergency | Office of Emergency Management | News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CITY OF PHILADELPHIA ANNOUNCES SNOW EMERGENCY

Philadelphia, January 22, 2016 – Managing Director Michael DiBerardinis announced that a Snow Emergency will be declared for the City of Philadelphia beginning at 9:00 p.m. today.

For citizens, a Snow Emergency means all parked cars must be moved off Snow Emergency routes for plowing. When moving your car, park as far from the corner of the street as possible; vehicles parked too close to the corner get in the way of snow plows trying to turn corners. Snow Emergency information and a map of Snow Emergency routes can be found at www.philadelphiastreets.com, click on Transportation, Highways, and then Snow. Cars left on Snow Emergency routes will be moved to other parking spots to assist in snow plowing operations. If your car is moved, call 215-686-SNOW to find it.

The Philadelphia Streets Department currently has 400 pieces of equipment and 600 employees standing by ready to deploy when there is when there is an inch to two inches of accumulation. Citizens are encouraged to stay inside and off the streets late Friday night, Saturday, and into Sunday morning.

Parking/Transportation

Due to the snow emergency, Philadelphia Parking Authority will not enforce meter and time limit violations after 9:00 p.m. tonight. The Philadelphia Parking Authority will enforce all snow emergency and safety violations. Vehicles illegally parked on snow emergency routes will be subject to ticketing and towing.

The Philadelphia Parking Authority will offer discounted parking in Center City garages during the Snow Emergency to help lessen the amount of cars parking on the street. Beginning at 5:00 p.m. today and running through the end of the Snow Emergency, the Philadelphia Parking Authority will offer a special 24-hour flat rate of $5.00 for the following parking facilities:

AutoPark at JFK (16th & JFK)
AutoPark at Independence Mall (5th & Market Streets)
AutoPark at Jefferson (10th & Ludlow Streets)
Autopark at the Gallery Mall (10th & Filbert Streets)
Autopark at 8th & Filbert Streets Garage (801 Filbert Street)
AutoPark at Old City (2nd & Sansom Streets)
Philadelphia Family Court Garage (1503-11 Arch Street – Going south on 15th Street, enter the garage on the west side just after 15th & Cherry St.)
Gateway Parking Garage (1540 Vine Street)

To receive the discounted $5 rate, customers must bring their ticket and pay at the PPA Management Office in each garage.

SEPTA plans to maintain regularly scheduled Subway and El operations throughout the duration of the storm unless service must be suspended due to hazardous conditions. All SEPTA regional rail and bus routes are suspended from 4 a.m. Saturday through 4 a.m. Sunday. Resumption of service on Sunday depends on storm timing and cleanup operations. SEPTA CCT will maintain operations only for dialysis customers. SEPTA will attempt to run trolleys in place of busses where possible, but customers should check www.septa.org for the latest updates.

The airlines at Philadelphia International Airport have canceled all flights on Saturday, and we encourage folks to check their flight status before leaving for the Airport today and especially on Sunday. Call your airline or you can get updates at 1-800-PHL-GATE or look on the Airport website.

Indego (bikeshare service) anticipates full service interruption beginning today, Friday,

January 22nd at 6:00 PM. Check Indego’s website, Twitter, and Facebook for real-time updates and news on when service will be restored, or call 844-446-3356 or email support@rideindego.com. @RideIndego.

Trash/Recycling

Due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, residents with normal Friday trash and recycling collection were due to have their trash picked up on Saturday. However, due to the storm, trash trucks are being converted to snow plow use and trash and recycling pick up for Saturday has been cancelled. Residents with rear driveway pick up should also put their trash and recycling materials in front of their properties at the curb instead of rear driveways on their regular trash and recycling collection days next week.

Call Centers Open

The Philly 311 Call Center will remain open this weekend to take calls for non-emergencies:

Friday – extend until 10 p.m.
Saturday – 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday – 8 a.m. – midnight
Monday – open at 6 a.m.

The Philadelphia Water Department will open their customer contact center 215-685-6300 this weekend. Citizens are encouraged to shovel snow from the fronts of fire hydrants and storm drains on their block to allow snow melt to drain to the city sewer system.

Homeless Outreach and Pet Safety Awareness

Citizens should contact the Project Home Outreach Hotline (215-232-1984) if they observe homeless persons in need of assistance. During the call, citizens should provide the address, location, and description of the person in need.

Citizens should contact the ACCT Philly hotline (267-385-3800) if they observe a dog or other pet outside during extreme cold. It is against City ordinance to leave pets outside in extreme cold and owners can be fined up to $500.

City Services Closed

All Philadelphia Libraries and Recreation Centers will be closed this weekend. All Prison visits are also cancelled due to the snow event. Hearings scheduled for parking tickets and citations are also cancelled. The payment center at 913 Filbert will be closed. The unclaimed vehicle auction scheduled for 12 noon on Saturday, January 23 at 3201 North Delaware Avenue has been canceled. Additionally, all Philadelphia Parking Authority impoundment lots will be closed to the public until the snow emergency is lifted. The Bureau of Administrative Adjudication, which handles parking ticket appeals will be closed Saturday, January 23.

Stay informed:

Tune to local news for weather updates.
Sign up for emergency alerts and weather updates from ReadyPhiladelphia at www.phila.gov/ready.
For more winter weather tips, visit the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management online at www.phila.gov/ready.
For official updates from the City, follow @PhilaOEM on Twitter or find them on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube and Blogspot.

Other City Twitter accounts to follow for information: @PhiladelphiaGov; @Philly311; @PhilaStreets; @PhillyPolice; and @PhillyFireDept.

An easy, essential way to be prepared is to stay informed. Get emergency alerts from OEM’s ReadyPhiladelphia program sent to your phone or email to keep you informed prior to and during an emergency. Also, look for PhilaOEM on Twitter and Facebook.