{"id":632,"date":"2014-02-06T12:23:55","date_gmt":"2014-02-06T17:23:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=632"},"modified":"2014-02-06T12:23:55","modified_gmt":"2014-02-06T17:23:55","slug":"officials-urging-patience-offering-safety-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=632","title":{"rendered":"Officials urging patience, offering safety tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recovery from ice storm, including power restoration, could take days<\/em><\/span><\/h1>\n
\n
\n
\"Many<\/a>

Many county residents will have cleanup work to do once power is restored.<\/p><\/div>\n

Patience: That\u2019s what government officials are recommending as county residents \u2013 most without power \u2013 attempt to rebound from the ice storm.<\/p>\n

With some exceptions where large trees fell, most county roads are passable; however, many resemble accident scenes with shards of ice from tree limbs littering the surface. On Thursday morning, Feb. 6, PECO reported that more than 128,000 of its nearly 210,000 Chester County customers remained in the dark, a situation that could persist into the weekend.<\/p>\n

Power continues to out in large portions of the center of the county, and resultingly, traffic lights are out. Although it appears that most motorists are being careful, the lack of lights is causing delays and slowdowns across the area. Numerous businesses remain closed, along with schools, as the power is restored bit-by-bit. While power appears to be coming back in much of Downingtown, Caln appears to less fortunate, with virtually all of Thorndale still without power, midday, Thursday.<\/p>\n

Power in Coatesville still has scattered outages, particularly on the east side of the city, although areas without power were also seen on the west side of the city. West Brandywine still has wide-ranging outages, but the situation appears to be better in Valley, with a number of areas seeing restoration of power.<\/p>\n

Those retailers that could open were doing brisk business \u2014 any Wawa that was seen open had lengthy lines for gas and waiting lines for parking spaces. At the Home Depot in Downingtown, shoppers were snatching up some of the few power generators available for sale in the county and refilling stocks of batteries and flashlights. Although the store had been open, running on minimum power \u2014 using generators \u2014 a loud cheer went up in the store, Thursday around 10 a.m. when the power was restored for the first time in roughly 30 hours, store employees said.<\/p>\n

Still, PECO said Thursday, many homes and business may not see restoration of power until Sunday night or even as late as Monday, as the slow work of repairing tree-entangled power lines continues. Because of the involvement of power lines, these downed trees can only be removed by PECO employees or contractors, due to the wires and power hazards.<\/p>\n

For the without power \u2014 and heat \u2014 shelter options will be open, as the temperature in the county dips in the mid teens tonight.<\/p>\n

The county is urging residents who need shelter to go to the Sturzbecker Health Center at West Chester University, 855 S. New Street, West Chester, where overnight facilities have been consolidated.\u00a0 This shelter is pet-friendly \u2013 pets are being housed in a separate building from the human residents \u2013 cages and food will be available.<\/p>\n

Those who simply need a place to get warm \u2013 but where services are more limited \u2013 can visit Pope John Paul School,\u00a02875 Manor Road,\u00a0<\/b>Coatesville; Cochranville Fire Company\u00a0<\/b>3135 Limestone Road,<\/b>Cochranville; or Coatesville City Hall \u2013 open until 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6 –\u00a0<\/b>One City Hall Place,\u00a0<\/b>Coatesville.<\/p>\n

Anyone needing transportation to a shelter or warming station should call 610-344-5195. All Chester County facilities \u2013 with the exception of the courts and Justice Center \u2013 are closed on Thursday, Feb. 6. For more information and tips from the county, visit\u00a0www.chesco.org\/des<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania American Water\u2019 advises that its\u00a0water and wastewater facilities serving western Chester County continue to experience operational issues resulting from Wednesday\u2019s ice storm and widespread power outages. The Rock Run Water Treatment Plant, which provides water service for approximately 12,000 customers, remains without electricity and is operating on back-up generators.<\/p>\n

Many of the company\u2019s pumping stations also remain without power and are running on generators to maintain service for customers. Although electricity has been restored to the Coatesville Wastewater Treatment Plant \u2013 which serves nearly 6,000 customers \u2013 many of the system\u2019s lift stations remain without power.<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania American Water officials said crews have been working around the clock to deploy generators for these key facilities, as well as mobilizing additional generators from other parts of the state. As a result, water and wastewater service to customers has not been impacted. If American Water customers experience disruption in their water or wastewater service, they should contact the customer service center at 800-565-7292. Officials recommend that customers allow a small trickle of water to run overnight; the flow will help prevent frozen pipes. The cost of the extra water is low compared to costly plumbing repairs and water damage, officials said.<\/p>\n

Chester County Emergency Management officials are encouraging residents to use caution when utilizing backup generators.\u00a0 If installed and operated correctly, the use of standby or portable electric generators poses little danger, but improper installation or use could be dangerous.<\/p>\n

The county offers these tips for the safe operation and use of portable generators:<\/p>\n