- Home
- Community
- Public Safety
- Snow Emergency & Management
Snow Emergency & Management
What is a Snow Emergency?
Winter weather is beautiful, but severe winter weather can pose a safety risk to our residents. This causes the Borough to have to declare a snow emergency in order to keep our residents safe.
In the event that a snow emergency is declared, an official declaration will be made by Mayor Urscheler, and then posted on the Borough website, and shared via the Borough’s social media pages, and an alert will be pushed out through the Alert Center. Please follow and subscribe to these platforms to stay informed about possible snow emergencies.
When a snow emergency is declared, residents are reminded to remove vehicles from snow emergency routes prior to the time that the state of emergency takes effect. Failure to do so may result in ticketing, towing, or having your vehicle blocked in by plowed snow. It is necessary to keep these routes as clear as possible so they can be plowed, allowing for those who need to drive somewhere a safe route to travel on. Parking is offered in any of the off-street Borough-owned lots, with the exception of the Borough Hall lot which needs to be kept clear.
Why Some Streets Are Cleared Before Others? - Snow Emergency Routes
As snow begins to accumulate, the Borough concentrates on certain streets. The first streets that receive attention are the snow emergency routes. As long as the snow keeps falling, the Borough’s first priority is to keep the snow emergency routes open and passable. As soon as all the snow emergency routes are clear, equipment is immediately moved into other areas.
The Borough snow emergency routes in Phoenixville are:
Bridge Street - From Pothouse Rd to Schuylkill River
Church Street - From Bridge St to Starr St
Dayton Street - From Emmett St to Freemont St
Emmett Street - From Franklin Ave to Dayton St
Franklin Avenue - From Gay St to Emmett St
Gay Street - From Southern Borough Boundary to Franklin Ave
Main Street (Route 29) - From Southern Borough Boundary to Nutt Rd
Main Street - From Nutt Rd to Bridge St
Manavon Street - From Nutt Rd to Starr St
Nutt Road - From East. Borough Boundary to West. Borough Boundary
Starr Street - From Nutt Rd to Bridge St.
BOROUGH RESIDENTS ARE PERMITTED TO PARK IN ANY BOROUGH-OWNED PARKING LOT, EXCEPT BOROUGH HALL LOT #5, WHICH MUST BE KEPT CLEAR.
Fire Hydrants
If you have a fire hydrant on your property, please clear the snow from around the hydrant. This will assist fire crews in the event of an emergency.
Clearing Sidewalk & Handicap Ramps
Residents are required to clear snow or ice from their sidewalks within 24 Hours after a storm ends. Sidewalks should be cleared to a minimum of three feet wide. This includes sidewalk ramps on your property. Please Do Not Throw Snow on the Roadways. It is against Borough Ordinance and creates dangerous driving conditions, as well as, frustrates both the snowplow operator and residents alike.
Clearing Your Driveway
As salting and plowing are difficult operations to perform, residents are requested to park in their driveways or off the street if possible. Please keep in mind that it is almost impossible to keep snow from being deposited at your driveway during plowing, as the plow cannot be lifted or stopped at each driveway it passes.
If you clear your driveway before the street is plowed, here is a tip that will minimize the amount of snow left in front of your driveway. When your driveway is cleared, clear an area to the left of the driveway entrance (standing in the driveway facing the street). When your street is plowed, the snow from the plow can be unloaded in this area instead of your driveway. Plows sometimes find it necessary to make several passes, in order to clear snow all the way to the curb to allow for proper drainage.
Please do not empty snow from your driveway into the street. This slows the overall plowing operation. Also, if snow is placed in the street and freezes, it can create a traffic hazard.
Parking Spaces
For properties that only have on-street parking, please remember, the streets of Phoenixville are open to all the public, in any location. Clearing a spot does not legally give any one person the right to “reserve” that spot with the various forms of reservation methods seen in the past, typically lawn chairs, tables, buckets, trash cans, and other various household items. Any items found in the streets are regarded as refuse, and will be disposed of each and every time it is witnessed by the Codes Department personnel.
Mailboxes
Checking your mailbox now will keep you worry free all winter when snow plows pass by. Please ensure your mailbox is secure and does not lean over the curb-line. Mailboxes that lean over the curb-line are more likely to get hit by a snowplow. Mailboxes and mailbox posts that are loose, rotten or in generally poor condition can be knocked over by heavy snow. Mailboxes will not be repaired or replaced if damaged by heavy snow.
Basketball Hoop Stands
During the winter months please move basketball hoop stands back from the roadway. Snow plows are taller vehicles and may hit basketball stands that extend over the roadway.
Customers should take steps to prepare for severe winter weather
- Charge cell phones and mobile devices before storms hit.
- Keep a flashlight with fresh batteries on each floor of your home.
- Have a supply of bottled water and easy-to-prepare, non-perishable foods available.
- Regularly check weather information so you’re aware of conditions.
- Stay away from downed power lines and electric equipment - always assume it is energized.
During winter storms, customers should remember to:
- Keep exhaust vents for natural gas appliances like water heaters, furnaces, and fireplaces clear of snow and ice to prevent buildup of carbon monoxide.
- Keep natural gas meters clear of snow and ice by using a broom or brush to gently clear the area around the meter.
- Find more safety tips at peco.com/Storm.
How to report an outage
- Customers experiencing issues with their electric or natural gas services should contact PECO at 1-800-841-4141. Alternatively, customers can easily report issues at peco.com/Outages using their phone, tablet or computer or through PECO’s free mobile app.
- Customers can visit peco.com/Alerts to choose how to receive information – via text, email or phone – including when power is out in their area, when service is expected to be restored, or when power is restored.
- PECO has a two-way texting program for outages. By texting “ADDOUTAGE” to MYPECO (697326), customers can enroll in the program, report outages, and check the status of their outage through text messaging. To use this service, a customer’s mobile number must be registered with their account.
- Customers can find additional information at peco.com/Storm. Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/pecoconnect and on Twitter at twitter.com/pecoconnect.
Restoration priorities
PECO’s restoration priorities are focused on public safety and other essential services such as 911 centers, hospitals, and pumping stations. Then restoration is generally scheduled so that the greatest number of customers can be restored as quickly and safely as possible.
After addressing downed live wires or potentially life-threatening issues, crews will focus on transmission lines that serve thousands of customers and substation equipment that can affect widespread areas. Crews will then address main distribution lines serving large numbers of customers and secondary lines serving neighborhoods. After major repairs are complete, crews will begin to work on service lines to individual homes and businesses.