Township In Bucks County Declares State Of Emergency For Weekend Of Pope's Visit
MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP, Pa., (CBS) – Middletown Township, Bucks County has declared a state of emergency for the weekend of the Pope's visit, according to police.
READ: Complete Coverage of Papal Visit 2015
The township will be directly impacted by having one of the five train stops in the county, according to a press release from Chief of Police Joseph Bartorilla.
"The state of emergency simply places the township in a state of readiness and preparedness for the challenges the weekend may present, and ensures adequate resources are available, if necessary," said Chief Bartorilla in the press release.
"The state of emergency declaration allows the township to ensure that all of its employees are available to work that weekend, if necessary. It allows the township to recover expenses used for the event should federal or state funding become available. And finally, the state of emergency will allow greater access to resources and equipment from the county and state that may be needed for the weekend traffic and crowd management issues," said Chief Bartorilla.
The police chief say the township wants to minimize that weekend's impact as much as possible to neighboring communities and businesses of the Woodbourne train station.
The township is working with Bucks County emergency management personnel and with SEPTA in preparing for this event.