Snowfall causes "State of Emergency" in Pennsylvania

ERIE COUNTY, Penn. (WICU) – Erie County, Pennsylvania Executive Kathy Dahlkemper signed a Declaration of Disaster Emergency Tuesday, which will allow for additional resources to assist with the winter storm that left parts of the region buried in more than 50 inches of snow.

Erie County is expected to get additional help from the National Guard, who will assist in emergency situations such as helping ambulance companies get access to patients that may be stuck.

Millcreek Township Emergency Management Coordinator Matt Exeley said plow crews have been hard at work trying to clear the roads.

“Our crews have been out 24/7, we have all of our plow crews out,” he said. “They have been doing a fantastic job with the elements that are out there it’s really hard to keep up with this amount of snow.”

The declaration goes into effect immediately. It allows Erie County officials to meet the needs of the snow emergency and allows the Department of Public Safety’s emergency management team to take appropriate action to restore public services or any other emergency response deemed necessary.