February 08, 2017
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
Snow falls early Thursday morning along on Fairmount Ave., Feb. 9, 2017.
With the first major snowfall of the winter season descending on the Philadelphia region, here's what you need to survive the storm:
The City of Philadelphia has declared a snow emergency beginning at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.
That 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, the city advises; vehicles parked too close to the corner get in the way of snow plows trying to turn corners.
Snow emergency information can be found at here; and a map of Snow Emergency routes can be found here. 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. Do NOT call 911.
In anticipation of Thursday's winter storm, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has announced that all archdiocesan high schools and parochial elementary schools will be closed due to the weather.
The archdiocese noted that its high schools and parochial elementary schools in the suburban counties typically follow the decision of their local public school district and submit an independent closure status.
The School District of Philadelphia has also announced that all schools would be closed and all after-school activities are canceled due to the forecasted weather.
More school closings and delays can be found at Fox29.com.
There will be no trash collection in the city on Thursday, officials announced. Residents whose trash is typically picked up on Thursday are asked to hold trash until the following week. Crews are expected to resume collections on Friday but residents should expect delays. There will be no driveway pickup beginning Friday; all materials should be placed at the curb.
City government offices will be open during normal business hours Thursday. Supervisors are urged to offer flexibility if employees are late.
Transit: SEPTA will post real-time travel updates at www.septa.org and @SEPTA on Twitter. PATCO will be operating on a special schedule until 2 p.m. Thursday. Follow PATCO on Twitter.
Airport: Travelers and those picking up travelers are encouraged to check their flight status before leaving for the Airport tomorrow. Call your airline, get updates at 1-800-PHL-GATE or check the airport website, www.phl.org.
The Philadelphia Parking Authority will not enforce meter and time limit violations after 10 p.m. Wednesday due to the snow emergency. The PPA will enforce all snow emergency and safety violations. Vehicles illegally parked on snow emergency routes after midnight Thursday will be subject to ticketing and towing.
The Parking Authority will offer discounted parking in Center City garages during the Snow Emergency to help lessen the amount of cars parked on the street. Beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday and running through the end of the snow emergency period, PPA will offer a special 24-hour flat rate of $5 for the following parking facilities list at right.
To receive the discounted $5 rate, customers must bring their ticket and pay at the PPA Management Office in each garage.
The Philly 311 Call Center will remain open during normal business hours Thursday (8am- 8pm) to take calls for non-emergencies. Requests for salting and plowing will not be taken during the storm. Once the storm has moved on, the City will announce when such requests will be taken.
The Philadelphia Water Department’s customer contact center 215-685-6300 will be open. 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.
Philadelphia’s Office of Homeless Services has declared the fourth Code Blue of the winter season from 8 p.m. to noon Saturday to prevent weather related deaths among people experiencing homelessness during dangerously cold temperatures. During a Code Blue, the city’s homeless outreach teams increase staffing and foot patrols throughout the city and transports homeless people directly to shelter 24 hours a day. Also, during a Code Blue, Philadelphia police are authorized to transport homeless people to a shelter.
City officials urge concerned citizens who see a person living on the street to call Homeless Outreach at 215-232-1984 and report the sighting. During the call, citizens should provide the address, location, and description of the person in need. Homeless outreach teams are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
All Philadelphia prison inmate visits are canceled Thursday for all jails in Philadelphia County.
For updates on Indego bike share during the snowstorm, please refer to the website or follow @rideindego on Twitter.
The Departments of Parks and Recreation reminds residents that if a tree falls during a storm and it's blocking a road, or it has fallen on a house, car or other property, call 911. A crew of arborists from the department are on-call to respond to tree emergencies and they will come out to remove the hazard and any part of the tree that is an immediate risk to public safety. Other parts of the tree that don't pose an immediate risk (such as tree trunks and stumps) will be removed at a later time so crews can focus on other safety hazards around the city during extreme weather events. In the event that a tree has fallen on electrical wires, please call PECO's emergency line: 1-800-841-4141.
In regards to pet safety, residents 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 dogs outside in extreme cold without proper shelter, and owners can be fined up to $500.
Stay informed. Sign up for emergency alerts and weather updates from ReadyPhiladelphia at www.phila.gov/ready.
For official updates from the City of Philadelphia, follow @PhilaOEM on Twitter or find them on Facebook.
Other City Twitter accounts to follow for information: @PhiladelphiaGov; @Philly311; @PhilaStreets; @PhillyPolice; and @PhillyFireDept.
Check out the 7-day forecast here.
