As Streets Department crews continue salting and plowing, Managing Director Mike DiBerardinis lifted the snow emergency declaration at 1:00 p.m. today, Tuesday, March 14, 2017. As a result, officials deactivated the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) this afternoon.

City offices opened for regular business at 10:00 a.m. this morning.

The Streets Department – working in conjunction with Parks & Recreation, Public Property, Water Department, L&I, and CLIP — began its storm response at midnight with 450 vehicles in operation.  The first four hours of work involved salting.  At 4:00 a.m., when accumulations were sufficient, crews began plowing.

Crews continue their work and are expected to keep at it until well into the evening.  3-1-1 requests for salting and plowing will not be taken until Thursday.

Travelers are advised to continue to use caution, particularly heading into the afternoon rush hour, when refreezing of roadways is possible.

Below, please find sections with important information on shoveling, transit, trash and recycling, parking, and other City services.

Parking

  • Parking Violations: The Philadelphia Parking Authority will resume enforcement of all parking violations beginning at 4:00 p.m. including meters.
  • PPA Center City Garages: Discounted parking rates at PPA garages in Center City will end at 4:00 p.m.; anyone entering the garage after this point will pay normal rates.
  • Snow Emergency Routes: Parking is again permitted along snow emergency routes. Cars parked along these routes during the emergency were moved; if you think your car was moved, please call 216-686-SNOW to locate it. Do not call 911.

Code Blue

  • Homeless Outreach: The City remains in Code Blue until temperatures rise and it is safe to be outside again. The Office of Homeless Services has added 304 beds and 124 cafe slots for Code Blue; people do not need ID to enter Code Blue shelters or cafes from the street and can remain indoors throughout the duration of the Code Blue.  If you are concerned about someone who is homeless, please call outreach at 215-232-1984 at any time. Outreach is available 24/7. First responders may also transport people to shelter for their own safety.
  • Pet Safety: During a Code Blue, it is against City ordinance to leave dogs or other pets outside in extreme cold without proper shelter. Violators can be fined up to $500. Citizens should contact the ACCT Philly hotline at 267-385-3800 if they observe a dog or other pet outside during a Code Blue.

Trash And Recycling Pickups

  • Tuesday Collections Suspended: Trash and recycling pickups were suspended on Tuesday; residents in neighborhoods that normally have collections on Tuesdays are asked to hold their trash until the following week. To accommodate residents impacted by collection delays, the Streets Department will extend the hours of its six Sanitation Convenience Centers until 8:00 p.m. all week. You can find a list of centers online.
  • Normal Collections Resume Wednesday: Collections resume as normal on Wednesday, March 15, 2017. There will be no collections picked up in driveways for the remainder of the week beginning Tuesday, however. Residents should place materials at curbside in the front of their homes all week.

Shoveling

  • Sidewalks Cleared: Residents are expected to shovel all walkways and clear at least a 36-inch path after the conclusion of the storm. Failure to shovel walkways can result in a $50 code violation notice.
  • Snow Disposal: Residents and private contractors are prohibited from shoveling or plowing snow into the streets. This creates a safety hazard and makes it difficult for the City to plow effectively.

Downed Trees

The Department 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, it is an emergency and residents should call 911.

A crew of arborists from Philadelphia Parks & Recreation 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 later so crews can focus on other safety hazards around the city during extreme weather events.

If a tree has fallen on electrical wires, please call PECO’s emergency line at 1-800-841-4141.

Power Or Street Light Outages

  • Power Outages: Residents should be prepared for power outages. Heavy, wet snow is forecast with wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour. PECO has ways to help before, during, and after a storm, including: preventing outages, storm readiness, storm restoration process, reporting outages online, and tracking current outages. Report downed wires or power outages to PECO at 1-800-841-4141.  Customers also can report their outage online at peco.com and sign up for outage alerts at peco.com/alerts. PECO also wants you to know you can report an outage on mobile via text message to 697326 (MYPECO). To report a gas emergency, please call 911.
  • Street Light Outage: Philadelphians should call the City’s non-emergency number, 311, if there is a street light outage. Street lights in Philadelphia are owned and maintained by the City.

Philadelphia Prisons

All inmate visits are canceled Tuesday for all jails in Philadelphia County.

Stay Informed

Residents are encouraged to tune to local news for weather updates and sign up for emergency alerts and weather updates from the City’s free text-based system, ReadyPhiladelphia. You can sign up for ReadyPhiladelphia online.

You should also follow the City and municipal agencies on Twitter, including: