Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
A day ahead of an expected major winter storm, Gov. Tom Wolf declared a State of Emergency for Pennsylvania.
The impending storm is expected to bring about a foot of heavy, wet snow and high winds to the Levittown area starting Friday night and lasting into Sunday.
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Despite the scary title, the State of Emergency lets local, county and authorities to have quicker access to needed resources before, during and after the storm.
“The proclamation authorizes state agencies to use all available resources and personnel, as necessary, to cope with the magnitude and severity of the situation. The time-consuming bid and contract procedures, as well as other formalities normally prescribed by law, are waived for the duration of the proclamation. The State Emergency Operations Center, located at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency headquarters outside Harrisburg, is staffed by personnel from multiple state agencies,” a statement from officials said.
“Declaring a state of emergency allows the commonwealth to deliver state resources wherever they’re needed as quickly as possible,” Wolf said in statement. “We have multiple state agencies working at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to monitor weather conditions across the state and we will respond to help local governments and residents in need.”
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The declaration does not put any restrictions on driving during the storm.
Officials from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Turnpike, PennDOT and Department of Health have been meeting Thursday to discuss the storm and potential impacts.
