Year in Review: Tropical Storm Isaias wreaked damage on Chester County - Daily Local News
Year in Review: Tropical Storm Isaias wreaked damage on Chester County - Daily Local News |
| Year in Review: Tropical Storm Isaias wreaked damage on Chester County - Daily Local News Posted: 31 Dec 2020 08:38 AM PST  AVONDALE — Tropical Storm Isaias was the worst storm to hit Chester County in 2020. It brought torrential rain quickly, northbound, across the region, and high winds on August 4. Emergency responders rescued 40 people, and a dog, from flooded apartment buildings in the borough's heart on First Street, a block shy of Route 41 in Southeastern Pennsylvania. First responders completed 127 water rescue missions throughout the day in Chester County. There were no fatalities. Good Samaritans of the region responded in droves to help neighbors, and strangers, trapped by floodwaters, downed wires and other calamities caused by the storm. "As always, the first responders in our southern end of the county rose to the occasion and saved lives and property," said Chuck Freese, emergency management coordinator for Southern Chester County, a position of gubernatorial appointment. "It's what they do on a daily basis. It takes extreme conditions such as a tropical storm to highlight them as the heroes they are every single day of the week," Freese said. "My family, your family, the residents of Southern Chester County are so blessed to have the professionals we have that serve us here." The tropical storm united community heroes for hundreds of emergency calls ranging from downed power lines and broken trees split across roadways, to reports of families trapped in flooding apartment buildings. Nearly 100 firefighters and emergency personnel responded to help those trapped by floodwaters in Avondale on Aug. 4, said Richard Franks, assistant fire chief at Avondale Fire Co. He said the 40 people rescued that Tuesday afternoon lived at two apartment buildings at 200 First Street plus others whose neighboring homes were also flooded. Fire companies and emergency responders who came to assist Avondale Fire Co. No. 23 included squads from Longwood, Kennett and West Grove. "We went down and saw people standing on the first steps and wading through the water," Franks said. "We evacuated the building for the safety of the people inside." The water rescue operation in Avondale was one of many emergency incidents that occurred across Chester County. Emergency calls to 911 began pouring in at 10 a.m. The storm flowed into Southern Chester County from the south in the early morning hours with rainfall becoming steady just past dawn. The West Grove Fire Co. worked with Union Fire Company No. 1 of Oxford to extricate five trapped people from a minivan caught in flood waters. Bruce Mitchell, chief of Kennett Fire Co. No. 1, said his department responded to 17 incidents on Aug. 4 including supporting water rescues in neighboring communities outside the borough. John Morris, emergency management coordinator for Kennett Square, said local water and sewer facilities were all being run on generators following the storm due to power outages. He estimated a quarter of the borough remained without power as of Wednesday afternoon. Brian Winslow, of Brandywine Red Clay Alliance, described the storm as a "flushing event. Everything that is on the land ends up in the water." The Brandywine, Red Clay and the White Clay all feed into the Delaware River via the Christiana River which leads into the Delaware Bay to the Atlantic Ocean. The Chesapeake Bay Watershed begins in southern New Garden, Winslow said. When an act of nature surge flushes debris from land into streams, creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes, the impact can be troublesome for native species as toxins enter waterways during storms. Yet, "they are amazingly resilient," he said of fish, frogs and turtles. "They are smart. They know how to hide in the mud." Winslow said 6.6 inches fell on Chester County on Tuesday as a result of the storm. "Any time you get a storm this big … in that short amount of time, you're going to get flooding." He said, "You see a lot of things washed into the streams." Certain vulnerable animals may suffer when toxins enter the water following a storm surge, Winslow said. There were 1,648 total incidents related to the storm — including 127 water rescues — on Aug. 4, according to Patty Mains, assistant director for external liaison and public information for Chester County Department of Emergency Services. There were no injuries reported from these rescues and no fatalities occurred as a consequence of the storm in Chester County. Specifically, there were 497 incidents reporting general hazards including fallen trees blocking roadways, all calls were non-life-threatening, Mains said. There were 168 incidents related to poles, wires, transformers — matters which required fire department response. Tredyffrin Township sustained the highest number of events with approximately 110 total incidents reported, she said. Mains noted that the highest number of emergency events related to the storm occurred between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., equating to 953 total emergency storm-related events during those mid-day hours. "Chester County first responders did an outstanding job during the storm yesterday," Mains said. More than 5,000 first responders worked together in wake of the storm to answer emergency calls. The storm flooded homes and roadways from West Vincent to Oxford and from West Chester to Landenberg during the height of the tropical storm's impact on the region in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Every municipality in Chester County had roads closed within their boundaries due to the tropical storm's impact. "A lot of the flood waters have receded," said Brad Rudolph, a PENNDOT spokesperson. He said many roads remained closed across Chester County from Oxford to West Vincent late in the afternoon Aug. 5 due to downed wires and fallen trees, and some flooding. "Approximately 47,700 of our 215,000 customers in Chester County are without service," said Kristina Pappas, senior communications specialist for PECO in Philadelphia, on Aug. 5. PECO is owned by Exelon Corporation, based in Chicago. "A total of 425,000 customers were impacted by the storm, with 307,000 customers being impacted at one time during the peak of the storm," Pappas said. "We have restored service to more than 73 percent of customers affected. Individual estimated restoration times are being updated as crews assess damage, however, it could be several days until power is restored to all customers impacted by this storm." Although some residents in hard-hit Chester County were required to wait "several days" before their power is restored, certain New Jersey neighborhoods remained without electricity for an "extended period."  |
| Posted: 31 Dec 2020 10:12 AM PST  Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today directed State agencies to prepare emergency assets and assist local governments as needed as multiple storm systems are expected to impact locations throughout the state with snow, sleet and freezing rain through the holiday weekend. Travel conditions are expected to be impacted, with areas in higher elevations likely seeing snow and mixed precipitation, while areas in lower elevations may see rain or ice accumulation up to a quarter of an inch in some places. Other locations should see a mix of sleet, rain and freezing rain. Due to multiple rounds of winter weather conditions, isolated power outages may also occur.
"As we head into New Year's weekend, a series of storms are poised to deliver snow, rain, and freezing rain throughout the state over the next several days," Governor Cuomo said. "State agencies are already preparing emergency response equipment and stand ready to assist any of our local partners if necessary. New Yorkers should also remember to celebrate smart this year. If anyone is traveling in the coming days, please use extreme caution while driving, especially during the evening and early morning hours, when temperatures may drop below freezing and turn the rain to ice."
As a cold front approaches the state later today, a wintry mix is expected to hit the North Country, Central New York, Mohawk Valley, and Southern Tier Regions, where some areas could see light snow accumulation. Most other areas should see a mix of rain and sleet that will likely impact travel as temperatures hover around the freezing mark. On Friday night, another storm will impact the state with accumulating snow and sleet, freezing rain and rain that will last into Saturday morning. Areas in the Mohawk Valley and Central New York Regions could see 1 to 3 inches of snow or mixed precipitation, while locations in the Western New York, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Capital District and Mid-Hudson Regions could see a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. As the storm moves through the state, snow and mixed precipitation may quickly transition to freezing rain. Rain may quickly freeze upon contact with the ground and cause hazardous driving conditions, especially on untreated roadways.
Forecasters are watching another storm system that could produce similar hazardous weather conditions on Sunday.
The National Weather Service continues to issue advisories, watches, and warnings for potentially hazardous winter weather conditions. For a complete listing of weather watches, warnings, advisories, as well as current weather forecasts, visit the National Weather Service website.
Agency Preparations
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services' Emergency Operations Center remains activated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will closely monitor weather conditions, coordinate state response operations and remain in contact with localities throughout the duration of the event. State stockpiles are prepared to deploy assets to localities to support any storm-related needs, including pumps, chainsaws, sandbags, generators, cots, blankets and bottled water.
Department of Transportation The State Department of Transportation is prepared to respond with 3,643 supervisors and operators statewide. Staff can be configured into any type of response crew that is required and the need for resource deployments will be continually re-evaluated as conditions warrant. All affected residency locations will be staffed for 24/7 operation throughout the event.
All available snow and ice response and tree debris response equipment is ready to deploy. Statewide equipment numbers are as follows:
Thruway Authority The Thruway Authority has 685 operators and supervisors ready to respond with 238 large snow plows, 99 medium snow plows, 11 tow plows and 57 loaders across the state with more than 120,000 tons of road salt on hand. Variable Message Signs, Highway Advisory Radio and social media are utilized to alert motorists of winter weather conditions on the Thruway. The Thruway Authority encourages motorists to download its mobile app which is available for free on iPhone and Android devices. The app provides motorists direct access to real-time traffic and navigation assistance while on the go. Motorists can also sign up for TRANSalert e-mails which provide the latest traffic conditions along the Thruway here.
Department of Public Service New York's utilities have approximately 5,500 workers available to engage in damage assessment, response and restoration efforts across New York State. Department of Public Service staff will track the utilities' work throughout the storm event and will ensure the utilities shift the appropriate staffing to the regions anticipated to experience the greatest impact.
New York Power Authority / Canal Corporation The New York Power Authority and the Canal Corporation staff has performed preparations for the forecasted weather to ensure all facilities, assets and equipment are secured and ready. The Power Authority also is prepared to support power restoration activities if needed.
Department of Environmental Conservation DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officers, Forest Rangers, Emergency Management staff, and regional staff are on alert and monitoring the developing situation and actively patrolling areas and infrastructure likely to be impacted by severe weather. All available assets are ready to assist with any emergency response.
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation New York State Park Police and park personnel are on alert and closely monitoring weather conditions and impacts. Response equipment is being fueled, tested and prepared for storm response use. Park visitors should check parks.ny.gov or call their local park office for the latest updates regarding park hours, openings and closings.
New York State Police State Police are prepared to deploy additional Troopers as needed to affected areas. All State Police specialized vehicles, including four-wheel drive vehicles and Utility Task Vehicles, are staged and ready for immediate response. All Troop emergency power and communications equipment has been tested.
Safety Tips Transportation accidents are the leading cause of death and injuries during winter storms. Before driving, ensure your vehicle is clear of ice and snow. Plan your stops and keep more distance between cars. Always match your speed to the road and weather conditions.
Some additional tips for safe driving in winter weather conditions include:
It's important to note that snowplows travel at speeds up to 35 mph, which in many cases is lower than the posted speed limit, to ensure that salt being dispersed stays in the driving lanes and does not scatter off the roadways. Oftentimes on interstate highways, snowplows will operate side by side, as this is the most efficient and safe way to clear several lanes at one time.
Motorists and pedestrians should also keep in mind that snowplow drivers have limited lines of sight, and the size and weight of snowplows can make it very difficult to maneuver and stop quickly. Snow blowing from behind the plow can severely reduce visibility or cause whiteout conditions. Motorists should not attempt to pass snowplows or follow too closely. The safest place for motorists to drive is well behind the snowplows where the roadway is clear and salted.
For more winter weather safety information, please visit the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services website at http://www.dhses.ny.gov/oem/safety-info
 |
| You are subscribed to email updates from "emergency water damage restoration" - Google News.
| Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
Comments
Post a Comment