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2010-02-07 05:12:07 - Snow Storm - USA EDIS CODE: SS-20100207-24823-USA
Date & Time: 2010-02-07 05:12:07 [UTC]
Area: USA, State of Pennsylvania, Southwestern area, Damage level: Moderate (Level 2)
Not confirmed information! Description: Up to two feet of heavy snow crippled much of southwestern Pennsylvania today, closing roadways and airports and leaving tens of thousands of people without electricity. Allegheny, Westmoreland, Fayette, Washington and Greene counties declared states of emergency, and Gov. Ed Rendell did the same for the state, making the National Guard available to help state police. Authorities asked non-essential, non-emergency vehicles to stay off roadways to allow public works crews, emergency responders and power company workers to do their work. Pittsburgh International Airport planned to reopen at 7 p.m., said airport spokeswoman JoAnn Jenny. "We had hoped we were going to get some areas open by noon but it turned out to be acres of concrete that still needed to be cleared," Jenny said. Jenny said some people were waiting in the airport for a flight, but most booked a hotel room to wait for better weather. She urged travelers to check with their airlines before going to the airport. The heavy, wet snow dropped trees and limbs on power lines, causing power outages that still impacted about 29,000 Duquesne Light customers, said spokesman Joe Vallarian said. Compounding the problem were road conditions which slowed crews from reaching areas without service. Port Authority of Allegheny County shut down nearly all service expect a line on the East Busway between Swissvale and Penn Station "due to extremely difficult driving conditions." Some lanes were closed on sections of the Turnpike because of crashes. Officials strongly advise anyone who might think about interstate travel to reconsider. Pittsburgh police advised people to remain indoors and restrict travel that is not absolutely necessary. Police and first-responder vehicles have been hampered by the storm and response time is a little slower than normal, police said. The heaviest hit area of the Turnpike is between the Somerset interchange (#110) and the Donegal interchange (#91), where a number of stranded, disabled and jackknifed tractor trailers made the westbound lanes slow moving with sporadic stoppages, according to spokesman Carl DeFebo. Many Pittsburgh-area residents lost power and have no heat. Allegheny County, Washington County and Pittsburgh officials set up "warming centers" to serve people with no heat.
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