Sandy Tuesday Morning Update

As the sun rises in the Philadelphia region, it seems the worst of now post-Hurricane Sandy is over, leaving municipalities and utility providers to begin to assess the damage and make repairs.

A Montgomery County information officer told Patch that about 185,000 customers are still without power in the county between PECO, PPL, and Med-Ed providers. A PECO spokeswoman said the utility alone estimates about 175,000 are without power, with the number as high as 3,500 customers in both Plymouth and Whitemarsh Townships. PECO has returned to making repairs, after being sidelined for much of the night due to dangerous wind conditions, the spokeswoman said.

According to the county, residents are still calling in to report downed trees, despite wind gusts having decreased to the 10-20 mph range. County officials expect this to continue as more residents and personnel head outside to assess the damage, and ask that residents remain at home to allow time for crews to remove debris. If driving is required, authorities recommend driving cautiously.

The National Weather Service is reporting that a flood warning for the Schuylkill River continues from Pottstown to near Norristown, with the last recorded height at 12.5 feet, 6 inches below a minor flood stage designation. A county information officer said NWS withdrew its flood warning for the Perkiomen Creek.

Various reports of downed trees and wires, transformer fires, and other incidents streamed in throughout the storm. In Plymouth, a falling tree branch punched through a vehicle's window on Belvoir Road, requiring a precautionary ambulance dispatch for the driver. In Whitemarsh, a vehicle crashed into a pole on Pine Ridge Drive near Ridge Pike, causing unknown injuries.

Several reports of downed trees crashing into houses, sometimes pulling down live electric wires, came in throughout the night. However, police have reported no serious injuries, fatalities, or structure fires.

Locally, Whitemarsh seems to have been hit the hardest, with the following road closures still in effect for the area as of 6 a.m. Monday:

• Barren Hill Road between Harts Lane and Scarlet Oak Drive (downed tree)
• Butler Pike between Spring Mill Road and Blue Ridge Road (downed tree)
• Germantown Pike both directions in area of Church road is closed
• Harts Lane between Barren Hill Road and Harts Road (downed tree)
• Manor Road between Ridge Pike and Dawnwood Lane
• Militia Hill Road between Joshua Road and Stenton Avenue (downed tree)
• Sheaff Lane between Morris Road and Skippack Pike (downed wires)
• Thomas Road between Kottler Drive and Presidential Drive (downed tree)

In Plymouth Township, police say Conshohocken Road between Academy and Station Avenue remains closed, as does Plymouth Road between Johnson and Sandy Hill Roads. The township's emergency operations center closed at about 5 a.m., but police anticipate road availability will change once daylight allows authorities to survey the damages.

A call to the Conshohocken Police Department's non-emergency line went unanswered.

The Colonial School District and Germantown Academy announced they would be closed Tuesday. Whitemarsh and Plymouth Townships announced their offices would be closed, while Conshohocken will reopen its offices at 10 a.m., according to the Borough website.

In Conshohocken, normal trash collection will resume on Thursday, the website said. Whitemarsh and Plymouth both announced that there would be no collection on Tuesday.

Check back with Patch as we continue to cover the local aftermath of the storm, and send any tips in about conditions to Kyle@Patch.com.

Click here to read last night's coverage.