PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — With the potential of a significant amount of snow hitting the region this weekend, preparations are underway to keep roads clear and people safe.
Department of Transportation crews in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware are working on snow removal plans. PennDOT’s Brad Rudolph said there are more than 400 snow removal trucks ready to roll out.
“Depending on the intensity of the storm, those plow routes are going to be slow going. It could take a couple of hours to get from start to finish on each of those plow routes,” he said.
Forecasters predict an intense winter storm will pass through Texas and the Carolinas before traveling up to the northeastern U.S., with Philadelphia in its path. The storm is expected to dump a total of 6 to 10 inches of snow in the city late Saturday through Monday morning, with temperatures on Saturday and Sunday below freezing.
“By the time you get to the beginning and start over again, there are going to be snow-covered roads,” Rudolph continued, “so we are going to keep them passable. They are not going to be completely free of snow and ice, not with this particular storm.”
AAA has urged anyone who plans to be on the road this weekend to prepare ahead of time — by filling up the gas tank and packing a winter vehicle emergency kit. Those who have to drive during the storm are advised to stay clear of crews as they clear the roads.
The organization also cautions drivers to leave early to provide plenty of extra time, remove all snow and ice from their cars, take it slow, leave enough following distance and never use cruise control in slippery weather.
Last-minute supply runs
Many people across the Delaware Valley have begun to brace for the storm by stocking up on supplies. At one point Wednesday afternoon, the Home Depot in South Philly ran out of salt. Fortunately, another truckload arrived around 4 p.m. and bags flew off some pallets as soon as they were unpacked.
“We were actually worried about that, I was worried things were going to be frantically bought because of the storm coming up, but no. Everything was in stock, everything was good,” said customer Andrew Sheffield, who managed through the first couple winter storms without a shovel. With close to a foot of snow possible this weekend, he had to pick one up. “We think our roommate might’ve taken our old snow shovel when he moved out.”
However, Sheffield didn’t just need the shovel for his own residence.
“We’ve got a few elderly neighbors and friends like that, who just can’t get out and do it themselves,” he said, “so we’ll usually go out there in the morning and help salt and shovel and everything.”
Janice Winston also needed to buy a shovel, though she broke her old one during one of the earlier storms. “I managed through this last storm, but I saw this one coming and knew I had to come out and get a shovel,” she said.
For Buffalo native Bruce Reckahn, nearly a foot of snow is small potatoes. “I grew up on Lake Ontario,” he shared. “Maybe the city’s not prepared for it, but the snow doesn’t bother me, driving in it doesn’t bother me.”
Jenny Soriano, on the other hand, wanted to be as prepared as possible. “I’m a little bit anxious, because we haven’t had this much snow for the past few years. We have a shovel, but it’s not that wide. I just need to make sure I have the proper one, and I have enough salt,” she said.
Like Sheffield, Soriano also planned to help her neighbors clear the sidewalk.
“It’s great to stay kind, and if people see that you’re trying to make your neighborhood better, I hope — ideally — it would encourage them to do the same,” she said, “but if they don’t, I will still continue to do so.”