City Activates Emergency Operations Center

PHILADELPHIA, PA –  The Managing Director’s Office of Emergency Management will have a limited activation of the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) tonight starting at 6:00 p.m. to coordinate city services during the Snow Emergency which will be effective at 7:00 p.m. this evening.

In addition to the Office of Emergency Management, agencies which will staff the EOC include the Philadelphia Police Department, Philadelphia Fire Department, Philadelphia Streets Department, Fairmount Park, Fleet Management, SEPTA, the Philadelphia Parking Authority and PECO.

All vehicles parked on Snow Emergency Routes must be moved to alternate parking locations before 7:00 p.m. Vehicles remaining on Snow Emergency Routes during the declared Snow Emergency will be ticketed and the City will begin towing vehicles starting at 7:00 p.m. If your car is towed, call 215-686-SNOW for its location. Do not call 9-1-1. A list of snow emergency routes is attached and can also be found at http://www.phila.gov/streets/Snow_Emergency.html.

To report a street in need of salting or plowing or for more information on any Streets Department program or service, call 3-1-1.

The City’s Code Blue remains in effect to provide additional support to the homeless.  If you see a homeless person in need of assistance, please call the Homeless Outreach Coordination Center at 215-232-1984.

Deputy Managing Director for Emergency Management Liam O’Keefe encourages Philadelphians to stay informed during the storm:

• Listen to local radio and TV news for updates. 
• Sign up for emergency alerts, weather updates and transportation delays from ReadyNotifyPA at www.phila.gov/ready.
• Follow OEM on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Blogger and You Tube, all of which are available at www.phila.gov/ready.

O’Keefe also recommends that Philadelphians have emergency supply kits for their homes and vehicles.  Items should include bottled water, energy or granola bars, blankets, first-aid kit, and wind up radio and flashlight or battery powered radio and flashlight with extra batteries.

Finally, call 3-1-1 for snow-related updates. Only call 9-1-1 if there is a medical or life-threatening situation.