Community Corner
State Of Emergency Declared For Delaware County
Tuesday was the fifth strongest wind storm on record. Tens of thousands are without power and trees are down across the county.
A state of emergency was declared for Delaware County Wednesday morning in the wake of Tuesday’s storms, county emergency services office confirmed.
Delaware County was the hardest hit area in the southeastern Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
Tuesday was the fifth strongest wind storm on record for the area, officials said, with wind gusts reaching 75 miles per hour.
Find out what's happening in Radnorfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Over 69,000 Delaware County PECO customers are still without power, along with over 140,000 in the region.
“Representatives from PECO likened (Tuesday) to a very severe ice storm,” Mario J. Civera, Jr., Chairman of the Delaware County Council, said in a press conference Wednesday.
Find out what's happening in Radnorfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In order to restore power in certain areas, PECO crews need to wait for emergency services to remove downed trees from wires, according to officials.
“PECO has notified me that they have activated their Emergency Response Organization and all available personnel are responding to restore service as safely and quickly as possible,” said State Rep. William Adolph (PA-165). “An additional 200 contractors have joined PECO crews to assist with restoration.”
PECO has also requested the assistance of an additional 500 field personnel from Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and New York to help restore service, according to Adolph.
PECO hopes to have 95 percent of customers restored to power by Friday, according to the Delaware County Council.
Senior residents at Lutheran Knolls in Boothwyn have been without power since 6 p.m. Friday, and many had to be taken to the hospital to receive oxygen once their back-up batteries died, according to area residents.
Where there are stoplights that are out, motorists should treat the intersection like a stop sign, officials said.
I-76 was shut down near Radnor on Tuesday, and roads throughout the county are blocked due to downed trees.
Please check back for more information as it becomes available.
Photo of upturned tree in Delaware County Tuesday evening courtesy of Rob Padden.
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