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Storm Update
July 7th, 2010
As you are aware, Upper Darby Township was hit with a summer storm on June 24, 2010 that paralyzed our community. The National Weather Service recorded winds upwards of 95 miles per hour and labeled this effect as straight line wind event. The storm’s path impacted distinct sections of our Township such as Drexel Park, Aronimink, Garrettford, Westbrook Park, Secane and Primos. Township personnel were activated to clear the streets and highways of fallen trees. The eastern portion of our town received lighter rains and less wind, similar to the routine thunder storms that may be encountered during the summertime.
In dealing with the impact of this storm, as with any major storm, Township staff did an assessment of the areas to determine life safety issues, storm damage and utility outages. This initial assessment, to be honest, was frightening. Some 18,500 homes were without power, many intersections were without traffic signals, the roof of a day care facility’s blew off putting small children at risk. Additional issues such traffic flow, blocked streets and the ability to communicate with staff hindered our response.
Initially the Township’s emergency management team opened shelters at Garrettford Fire Company and the Primos Secane Westbrook Park Fire Company due to the power outages. The shelter information, along with updates on our progress in addressing storm issues, was communicated to all Council members, Department Heads, the 911 Center and the PECO Emergency Operation Center.
On Friday, June 25th, most power in the storm areas was still out and clean up began on the streets and Township property; i.e. parks, streets, etc.
Over the weekend, many of our residents began the ardent task of cleaning up their properties waiting and hoping for their electricity to be restored. Due to the heat index, and out of concern for the elderly and children, the Upper Darby Township Emergency Management team was put on standby notice and was prepared and to open a comfort station at Upper Darby High School. However, we did not have to activate the comfort center.
On Monday, June 26th, PECO reported that with the help from crews of neighboring utility companies, power had been restored to over 10,000 residents. This suggested that approximately 7,000 homes were still without power. PECO continued to work on restoring power and Township staff continued the task of cleaning up our streets and parks.
This storm, unlike any other storm, placed challenges and concerns before the Township Administration. The most frustrating concern was that some residents began to throw tree branches and limbs and, in some cases, tree trunks into the streets. The Administration, in reviewing these actions, decided to reaffirm the Township’s regulations regarding the trash collection of tree branches. The long standing policy has been that branches must be bundled in sections no longer than five feet and not weighing more than thirty pounds.
I reported to you that most of the Upper Darby Township community has resumed normal life with full power, cable and telephone services. Unfortunately, there are some residents that totally ignored the needs of the community and continue to place tree debris in the streets or perhaps totally lacked the courtesy to remove and clean up in front of their homes, thus leaving large piles of leaves, limbs and, in some cases, tree trunks in the street and public right of way.
In an attempt to rectify the hazardous condition this action or lack of action has caused, Township staff worked tirelessly to notify the affected residents to clear the streets and public right of way by cutting and bundling tree debris. This has not occurred in many locations. Earlier today, July 7th, the Township Fire Chief and Health Director advised the current heat wave and the debris in the streets is creating a safety hazard and requested that I authorize the Township staff to start to remove material in the public right of way as soon as possible. In the interest of public safety, I have authorized Township staff to begin the process of clearing what is considered to be combustible material from the public right of way.
In closing, I wish to personally thank our employees for the outstanding job they did during and after the storm to protect the residents from harm and assist in this massive cleanup effort. Finally, to the residents who endured during the storm and the conditions afterward and to those residents that went above and beyond, I thank you for the community spirit. This effort and cooperation is what makes Upper Darby a strong community.
I have asked the Chief Administrative Officer, Thomas Judge, to meet with all departments and Council Committee Chairs of the Public Safety, Public Works and Health committees to critique the emergency operation and report to me within forty-five days with any recommendations or changes to our plan for this type of event.
I am pleased to report that there were no major injuries or loss of life during this emergency. For that, we should all be thankful.
Thomas N. Micozzie,
Mayor
June 28th, 2010 - 12:00PM
As you are aware on Thursday afternoon June 24 around 3:30 PM parts of the Upper Darby Township community were rocked by severe weather. The National Weather Service suggests the Upper Darby area was hit by a serve straight line wind event.
At this point PECO has advised that approximately 450 Upper Darby residents are still without power, down from 18,800 residents without power Friday morning. PECO advises they are continuing their efforts to restore power and are being helped by crews from neighboring utility companies.
The sanitation department is in the areas hit by the storm for a special trash pick- up. We will again be in these areas on Tuesday for a special pick-up.
Please understand the Township cannot go on to resident’s private property to remove trees or tree limbs. Your property is defined beyond the curb line. The Township will pick up wood, lumber and tree limbs from the curb side. HOWEVER THIS MATERIAL MUST BE BUNDLED IN LENGTHS NOT LONGER THEN 3- 5 FEET AND SHOULD NOT WEIGH MORE THEN 30 LBS.
As life in our community starts to return to normal, you are going to notice that stop signs, street signs and other township equipment has been damaged or destroyed. While the township crews have noted many of these problems please do not assume we are aware of the problem you have noticed. Kindly call to report the matter to 610.734.7625 (leave a message) or send us an e-mail at request@upperdarby.org.
If you have an emergency please call 911, if you want to report a non emergency situation to the Township call the Mayor’s hot line at 610.734.7625 or if possible send an email to request@upperdarby.org.
June 26th, 2010 - 12:00PM
As you are aware on Thursday afternoon June 24 around 3:30 PM parts of the Upper Darby Township community were rocked by severe weather. The National Weather Service suggests the Upper Darby area was hit by a serve straight line wind event.
At this point PECO has advised that approximately 2,800 Upper Darby residents are still without power, down from 18,800 residents without power Friday morning. PECO advises they are continuing their efforts to restore power and are being helped by crews from neighboring utility companies.
The Upper Darby Township Parks and Public Works crews worked late into the evening on June 24 and all day Friday June 25 to remove trees that blocked township roadways. The Parks crews have shifted their efforts to Township parks that have received damage from the storm. The Township is aware that there are still a few streets not passable because of downed trees. We have been unable to clear these streets because of power lines. Once the PECO crews have repaired the lines, township crews will return to make sure the streets are clear curb to curb.
Please understand the Township cannot go on to your property to remove trees or tree limbs. The sanitation department did pick up the normal Friday (summer schedule) route on streets that were passable. Clearly, we were not able to access streets still blocked by down power lines.
The Upper Darby Emergency Management team closed the comfort center at the Upper Darby High School at 9:00 PM Friday June 25, 2010. At his point we are not planning to open the comfort center today Saturday June 26, 2010. However, we will continue to evaluate the situation and adjust as necessary. If you need emergency help please call 911. As life in our community starts to return to normal, you are going to notice that stop signs, street signs and other township equipment has been damaged or destroyed. While the township crews have noted many of these problems, please do not assume we are aware of the problem you have noticed. Kindly call at report the matter to 610.734.7625 (leave a message) or send us an e-mail at requests@upperdarby.org.
If you have an emergency please call 911, if you want to report a non emergency situation to the Township call the Mayor’s Hot line at 610.734.7625 (leave a message) or if possible send an email to requests@upperdarby.org
June 25th, 2010
Thursday afternoon June 24 around 3:30 PM parts of the Upper Darby Township community were rocked by severe weather. The National Weather Service is evaluating the area to determine the type of storm that rolled through Upper Darby.
At this point PECO has advised that over 15,000 Upper Darby residents are without power. PECO advises they are working to restore power but some areas could be impacted up to 3 days.
Upper Darby township Parks and Public Works crews worked late into the evening on June 24 to remove trees that blocked township roadways. The crews are back out this morning continuing to open up roadways. The sanitation department is picking up the normal Friday (summer schedule) route on streets that are passable.
The Emergency Management staff opened two shelters last evening, but by 12:30 AM they closed because residents who used the temporary shelter found other accommodations. As we move forward today Friday June 25, 2010 we will monitor the situation and evaluate the need to open a shelter. If we do open a shelter township resident will be notified by a posting on the Township website. Since the population that will need this information the most will most likely not have access to the internet and website, Township fire equipment will be utilized to notify the residents in the area hit by the storm damage about the status of the shelter.
We will provide additional information at this site later in the day. If you have an emergency please call 911, if you want to report a non emergency situation to the Township call the Mayor’s Hot line at 610.734.7625.
February 11th, 2010 1:00 PM
Mayor Thomas N. Micozzie announced the snow emergency will expire tonight, February 11th, 2010 at 6:00 PM. Upper Darby Township staff will continue their efforts to remove snow from township streets and make intersections passable. The Mayor’s snow hot line will shut down at 6:00 PM this evening and reopen tomorrow, February 12th, 2010 at 8:00 AM until 4:30 PM. In addition, residents may continue to call the Mayor’s request line at 610.735.7625 or e-mail concerns to Request@upperdarby.org
The Sanitation Department will attempt to make trash collection tomorrow, February 12th, 2010 on the normal Friday route. We will not pick up recycling on the Friday recycling route. As you know, recycling north of Garrett Road was scheduled to be picked up on Saturday, February 13th, 2010. The Mayor has canceled this scheduled recycling pick-up. The next recycling pick-up for the area north of Garrett Road is scheduled for Saturday, February 20th, 2010.
Monday, February 15th, 2010, Presidents’ Day, is a scheduled holiday. It is the Township’s plan to return to the normal (holiday schedule) trash and recycling operation on Tuesday February 16th, 2010. Please refer to your trash and recycling calendar for the details related to next week’s pick-up schedule.
As announced earlier, the public meeting on the proposed zoning changes scheduled for Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 has been continued until Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 7 PM in the Municipal Building, 100 Garrett Road, Council Room, Upper Darby, PA 19082.
The weather forecast suggests we may receive more snow early next week. While it is too early to understand what level of precipitation we will receive, we need to mention that additional snow accumulation could once again impact the trash and recycling schedule next week.
Mayor Micozzie wants to thank all the Township employees who worked during this recent snow storm in providing protection and service to the community. A special note of appreciation is extended to all the Township residents who pitched in and lent a hand in helping their neighbors survive this record snow storm.
The Upper Darby Township Snow Plan can be viewed under the Public Works section of this site.
February 11th, 2010 1:00 PM
Mayor Thomas N. Micozzie announced the snow emergency will expire tonight, February 11th, 2010 at 6:00 PM. Upper Darby Township staff will continue their efforts to remove snow from township streets and make intersections passable. The Mayor’s snow hot line will shut down at 6:00 PM this evening and reopen tomorrow, February 12th, 2010 at 8:00 AM until 4:30 PM. In addition, residents may continue to call the Mayor’s request line at 610.735.7625 or e-mail concerns to Request@upperdarby.org
The Sanitation Department will attempt to make trash collection tomorrow, February 12th, 2010 on the normal Friday route. We will not pick up recycling on the Friday recycling route. As you know, recycling north of Garrett Road was scheduled to be picked up on Saturday, February 13th, 2010. The Mayor has canceled this scheduled recycling pick-up. The next recycling pick-up for the area north of Garrett Road is scheduled for Saturday, February 20th, 2010.
Monday, February 15th, 2010, Presidents’ Day, is a scheduled holiday. It is the Township’s plan to return to the normal (holiday schedule) trash and recycling operation on Tuesday February 16th, 2010. Please refer to your trash and recycling calendar for the details related to next week’s pick-up schedule.
As announced earlier, the public meeting on the proposed zoning changes scheduled for Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 has been continued until Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 7 PM in the Municipal Building, 100 Garrett Road, Council Room, Upper Darby, PA 19082.
The weather forecast suggests we may receive more snow early next week. While it is too early to understand what level of precipitation we will receive, we need to mention that additional snow accumulation could once again impact the trash and recycling schedule next week.
Mayor Micozzie wants to thank all the Township employees who worked during this recent snow storm in providing protection and service to the community. A special note of appreciation is extended to all the Township residents who pitched in and lent a hand in helping their neighbors survive this record snow storm.
The Upper Darby Township Snow Plan can be viewed under the Public Works section of this site.
February 5th, 2010 10:00 P.M.
Mayor Thomas N. Micozzie, in accordance with the Township’s snow emergency plan declared a snow emergency effective this evening February 5, 2010 at 9:00 PM. The Mayor anticipates that the snow emergency will remain in effect until at least Saturday, February 6, 2010 at 6:00 P.M.
This means no cars should be parked on snow emergency routes until the snow emergency expires. The Mayor met with his staff at 9:00 PM and understands the weather and driving conditions are deteriorating. The Upper Darby Township snow removal staff is on the road and has begun snow removal activities, salting the roadways and removing snow.
The snow hot line at 610.734.7700 will be put into effect at 9:00 P.M. tonight, February 5, 2010 and will remain open at until at least 6:00 P.M. Saturday, February 6, 2010.
Emergency situations should be reported to the police and fire by calling 911.
In addition, residents may e-mail concerns to Request@upperdarby.org
The Upper Darby Township Snow Plan can be viewed under the Public Works section of this site.
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