HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf today declared a state of emergency in preparation for the winter storm expected to impact Pennsylvania, especially in the southeast and south central regions of the state.
The disaster emergency proclamation enables state and local authorities to respond to any unmet needs as quickly as possible as a snowstorm is forecasted to blanket snow across much of the state.
“Declaring a state of emergency allows the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to deliver state resources wherever they’re needed as quickly as possible,” said Wolf.
“We have multiple state agencies working at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to monitor weather conditions across the state and we will respond to help local governments and residents in need.”
Wolf and state officials from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Turnpike, and the Departments of Transportation and Health will hold a 2:30 p.m. media briefing that will be broadcast live at http://governor.pa.gov/live.
The proclamation authorizes state agencies to use all available resources and personnel, as necessary, to cope with the magnitude and severity of the situation.
The time-consuming bid and contract procedures, as well as other formalities normally prescribed by law, are waived for the duration of the proclamation. The State Emergency Operations Center, located at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency headquarters outside Harrisburg, is staffed by personnel from multiple state agencies.