State of emergency declared in Pittsburgh as snowplows break down, leaving many roads untreated

Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor declared a state of emergency on Monday after a historic winter storm blanketed the region in deep snow.

It's the second-worst snowstorm in the past 30 years, and it has paralyzed many neighborhoods across Pittsburgh. City officials said at a press conference Monday morning that they were on a solid pace of cleaning the streets until more than a third of their plow trucks began breaking down.

Mayor O'Connor says 37 of the 95 plows are now in the repair garage, and the rest of the fleet is struggling to keep up, deciding to declare this state of emergency to receive additional help.

"We are now declaring a state of emergency in the city of Pittsburgh, which gives us the power to bring in additional help and support. It allows us to bring in private contractors. They're not only going to help remove snow and plow streets, but also help haul snow out of our neighborhoods," Mayor O'Connor said.

The city's aging fleet has received scrutiny, with residents complaining as recently as last month about unplowed streets across neighborhoods.

There are plans and funding to address the issue, but for now, the city will need to use its available trucks and call for outside assistance.

Wider disaster declaration for Allegheny County

County Executive Sara Innamorato also declared a countywide disaster emergency following the storm.

Allegheny County Emergency Services had activated a hybrid emergency operations center in advance of the storm to coordinate response and preparedness efforts with the Department of Public Works, municipal public safety agencies, and partners, and emergency management, per a news release from county officials.

The disaster declaration enables Allegheny County to bypass normal procedures to immediately deploy all available resources for emergency response and recovery.

Officials stress patience as crews clear side streets

While going around parts of the South Hills neighborhoods, it was seen that main roads were in good shape, but side roads were a problem.

A few side roads were in better shape, but tricky to drive on because there was one cleared path, and if two cars are coming at each other, someone is going into the piles of plowed snow. Some other side streets, like Clemesha Avenue, had several inches of snow still on them, making it almost impossible to drive on.

For neighbors around the Brookline area, this is not new. While they understand this was a historic storm, they would like to see a truck come down their street.

"I'm sure there are lots of other people in need. We are just a one-block street, so I don't know how important we are considered to be, but it would be nice," Edith Davidson said while shoveling out her driveway.

"We're going to be patient; we know that it always takes a little bit of time, and the fleet is having some trouble right now. We try to give them a little bit of grace and be understanding," Connor Mulvaney said before cleaning off his car.

Councilman Anthony Coghill hopes that within the next day, many of the side streets will be cleaned and in better shape.

"I know we're doing everything we can. We lost a lot of vehicles. I don't know how it's going as far as contacting contractors and seeing if we can get the extra help out here, but I think by tomorrow, we will have it under control," he said.

One of the concerns moving forward is refreezing. 

Councilman Coghill says main roads are still being treated to ensure ice doesn't become a problem.