Snow emergency in Philadelphia continues, city schools virtual Tuesday
The great dig-out began Monday after a winter storm dumped over 9 inches of snow in Philadelphia, but the city's snow emergency will continue until further notice, Mayor Cherelle Parker said Monday.
The mayor said city offices and courts will remain closed Tuesday as crews continue to work on cleaning up city streets and sidewalks.
"We are not out of the woods, Philadelphia, and we are not claiming victory at all right now," Parker said. "That is why the snow emergency will continue until further notice."
Are Philadelphia schools open Tuesday?
Superintendent Tony Watlington said all School District of Philadelphia schools will be closed, but Tuesday will be a virtual learning day for students.
Watlington also said district offices and early childhood centers will be closed, and after-school programs should be canceled.
Archdiocese of Philadelphia schools will use a "flexible instruction day" on Tuesday.
SEPTA schedule for Tuesday
SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said buses are expected to be fully back on the road by the start of service Tuesday. He said as of Monday afternoon, 37 bus routes are back to full service.
Sauer added that the Regional Rail is still suspended but will return to service Tuesday on a Saturday schedule.
SEPTA will make a decision after 6 p.m. Monday on the trolley tunnel between 40th and Market streets, the GM said.
"We don't want to tow vehicles"
Many secondary and tertiary roads are still coated with snow and ice. Officials said they continue to plow and have even lifted and melted several tons of snow so far, but plows need to work.
The mayor urged Philadelphia residents to move their cars out of snow emergency routes.
"Not all of you, but some of you continue to park on those critical routes," Parker said. "We've had to tow nearly 350 vehicles since Sunday alone. We don't want to tow vehicles, so please help us."
"We're about to hit a deep freeze, very cold temperatures," Carlton Williams, director of Clean & Green Initiatives, said, "and so whatever we don't get could possibly freeze, and it makes it that much more difficult for us to plow frozen material.
"It looked like the Snowmageddon"
Waking up to heavy snow can be bad enough for some, but it can be more stressful when living in a hilly area. One of the challenges in living in the historic district of Manayunk during a snowstorm is not only the hills, but the brick streets that residents said make things more slippery.
"It looked like the Snowmageddon," Manayunk resident Jessica George said.
George said around 9 a.m., crews started to salt and plow the streets, but they only worked on the main roads.
"So, everyone [else] is pretty much stuck in," George said.
Some Manayunk residents like George are frustrated that their hilly streets are slushy and potentially dangerous.
One couple who didn't want to be on camera was out working hard to dig out what looked like an unplowed area at Hermitage and Smick streets. They said everything was buried in the snow, and a plow truck didn't come by, leading them to shovel out two cars.