Due to the coming weekend storm with predicted sizable snowfall, ice, winds and frigid temperatures it is recommend that travelling be minimized as much as possible during this time. The Street Department will have a full staff out on the roads doing their best to keep up with the storm by plowing and/or salting roads. Roads may still be snow covered or drifted over due to ongoing storm conditions so please be cautious while driving. Please try to keep parked cars off the streets and please do not blow or shovel snow on to the roadways. Please be alert for white-outs, ice and downed tree and wires.
If you must travel, please give yourself extra travel time and extra following and stopping distances. Extra caution should also be taken when traversing up and down hills, around sharp curves and stopping and starting at intersections. Before setting out, remember to remove snow from your front and rear windshields, side windows and head lights and tail lights. It is recommended you have a winter safety kit in your vehicle that includes, but is not limited to, a cell phone, flashlight, blanket, food/water, some anti-skid material, safety flares/reflectors, and shovel.
Be aware power outages caused by downed trees and wires could disable traffic signals and street lights. Stop at all unlighted traffic signal intersections and then proceed as you would at an intersection controlled by all stop signs. Watch out for police officers and fire fighters directing traffic at intersections, crash scenes and other roadside emergencies. Slow down and move over for all emergency vehicles. If you become stuck in snow or in a ditch, use your four-way flashers to alert other motorists of the hazard. Vehicles involved in minor crashes should move off the road as much as possible and four-way flashers also utilized. Police patrol operations will continue as normal but response times may be increased due to poor road conditions or volume of calls. Again, non-essential travelling should be avoided during the storm event.
Per Penn Power, homes or businesses experiencing power outages should (always) make a report by calling the customer contact center outage line: 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877).