Mayor Nutter Announces Snow Emergency for 6 a.m.

Map via National Weather Service

In advance of tonight’s expected storm, Mayor Michael Nutter has announced that a snow emergency will be declared for Philadelphia starting at 6 a.m. (See the latest National Weather Service briefing here.)

Here’s the important information:

The Streets Department is planning to deploy 350 vehicles with plans to plow all residential streets after the snow ends, and property owners must clear a path of 3 feet in front of their properties within 6 hours after the conclusion of the snowfall.

Seniors and disabled citizens can request shoveling help by calling 311.

If you see a homeless person in need of help, call the Project Home Outreach Hotline (215-232-1984) and provide the address, location and description of the endangered person.

Dogs or other pets left outside during extreme cold can be reported via the ACCT Philly hotline (267-385-3800) — owners can be fined as much as $500.

Parked cars must be moved from snow emergency routes (find a map of Philadelphia’s snow emergency routes here). To help alleviate street parking, starting at 6 a.m., the PPA will offer 24-hour $5 flat-rate parking at the following facilities:

•  Family Courthouse Parking Lot (15th & Arch Streets)
•  AutoPark at Independence Mall (5th & Market Streets)
•  AutoPark at Old City (2nd & Sansom Streets)

The School District of Philadelphia is expected to make a decision about classes in the morning (call 215-400-INFO or log on to www.philasd.org for updates).

Trash and recycling pick-up is cancelled on Thursday; those with Thursday pick-up should hold their materials until next week.

See the full announcement below, and follow our Twitter traffic and weather list below for updates:

Tweets from https://twitter.com/phillymag/lists/philly-traffic-weather

CITY OF PHILADELPHIA ANNOUNCES SNOW EMERGENCY

Philadelphia, March 4, 2015 – Mayor Michael A. Nutter announced that a snow emergency will be declared for the City of Philadelphia beginning at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow.

For citizens, a snow emergency means all parked cars must be moved off snow emergency routes for plowing. When relocating your car, park as far from the corner of the street as possible; vehicles parked too close to the corner impede the turning radius of plowing equipment. Snow emergency information and a map of snow emergency routes can be found at http://www.philadelphiastreets.com/highways/snow/emergency-routes/. Cars left on snow emergency routes will be relocated to accommodate plowing operations. If your car is relocated, call 215-686-SNOW to find it.
The PPA will offer discounted parking in select Center City garages during the snow emergency to help alleviate parking on the street. Beginning at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow and running through the end of the snow emergency, the PPA will offer a special 24 hour flat rate of $5.00 for the following parking facilities:
o Family Courthouse Parking Lot (15th & Arch Streets)

o AutoPark at Independence Mall (5th & Market Streets)

o AutoPark at Old City (2nd & Sansom Streets)
A decision about Philadelphia School District schools is expected tomorrow morning. For more School District information and updates, contact the District’s Information Hotline at 215-400-INFO (4636) or log on to www.philasd.org.

Regular Thursday trash and recycling collections are cancelled tomorrow (Thursday, March 5th). Citizens with Thursday trash collection should hold all materials until next week. All rear driveway collections are cancelled until further notice. Citizens with rear driveway collections should put trash and recycling out at the curb (street side of house) when collection operations resume until further notice.

The Philadelphia Streets Department will have 350 pieces of equipment out on the streets. With the current snowfall projections, the City expects to treat and plow all residential streets after the snow ends.
All property owners are also required to clear a path of at least 3 feet in front of their property within 6 hours of the snow event ending, including curb cuts. If senior or disabled citizens need help shoveling they can call 311 to request a volunteer to help once conditions are safe to travel.
Call 311 to report a street that needs salting or plowing.
Citizens should contact the Project Home Outreach Hotline (215-232-1984) if they observe a homeless person(s) 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.

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Stay informed:
Tune to local news for weather updates.
Sign up for emergency alerts, weather updates, and transportation delays from ReadyNotifyPA at www.readynotifypa.org.
For more winter weather tips, visit the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management online at www.phila.gov/ready. You can also 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.