Monday 12 September 2011

Governor Corbett Views Affected Flood Areas in the Harrisburg, Hershey, Lancaster and York Areas; Says the Worst of the Flooding is Over


Harrisburg – Governor Tom Corbett today said that the worst of the flooding in central and eastern Pennsylvania is over and that authorities are entering the recovery phase of this disaster.
“The people of this state owe a big debt of gratitude to the state police, to local fire, police and ambulance services. I also want to note the exceptional work done by the men and women of our national guard,” said Corbett.
Currently there are 12 unconfirmed deaths in the commonwealth associated with this disaster.
“A combination of planning, quick response and the bravery of our emergency crews has prevented that number from being far higher,” said Corbett.
The Governor reminded residents returning to their properties that many serious safety issues exist when re-entering their home. The following advice should be followed during the clean-up effort.
 Do not return to your home until your evacuation order has been lifted.
 Take great care while cleaning up
 Make sure utilities including gas and electric are disconnected before entering your basement
 Call your insurance agent to see what is covered
 Don’t do business with unlicensed contractors, call the Home Improvement Registration Hotline 1-888-520-6680
 Throw out food that has gone through the flood
 Check with local authorities before drinking your tap water
“We are counting on President Obama to recognize this as a major disaster and to issue a declaration saying so. This opens the doors to federal
assistance to public agencies and individuals, mostly through the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” said Corbett.
All residents with flood insurance should call their agents now, take photographs of everything inside and out, save all receipts and above all thoroughly check out all contractors you sign on to do work on your property.
At this point, the commonwealth will remain at a level two state emergency.
Media contacts:
Cory Angell or Ruth A. Miller, PEMA; 717-651-2009
Kelli Roberts, Governor’s Office; 717-783-1116
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Wednesday 7 September 2011

State Police Enforcement Effort Removes Trucks, Drivers from Service


Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania State Police placed 163 trucks and 39 drivers out
of service during a recent one-day enforcement effort that focused on inspecting
commercial vehicles that transport hazardous materials.
“Every day in the United States, trucks transport more than 800,000 shipments of
hazardous materials. As many of these shipments pass through Pennsylvania, it’s
our goal to make sure they are transported safely,” State Police Commissioner
Frank E. Noonan said today.
The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safe Transportation of Placarded Substances detail,
or S.T.O.P.S, was conducted Aug. 31 by members of the motor carrier enforcement
team.
A total of 1,356 commercial vehicles were inspected during the effort, and 53
percent of the trucks inspected had at least one safety violation, Noonan reported.
Officers handed out 823 traffic citations and 1,268 written warnings for vehicle and
driver violations.
Find more information about State Police online at www.psp.state.pa.us.
Media contacts: Maria A. Finn or Sgt. Anthony Manetta, 717-783-5556
Editor’s Note: Following is a breakdown, by troop area, of the number of vehicles
inspected; number placed out of service; and citations issued by State Police during
the one-day program:
· Troop A (Cambria, Indiana, Somerset and Westmoreland counties), 87
inspections; 12 vehicles out of service; one driver out of service; 23
citations; 106 warnings.
· Troop B (Allegheny, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties), 104
inspections; 10 vehicles out of service; no drivers out of service; 51
citations; 88 warnings.
· Troop C (Clarion, Clearfield, Forest, Elk, Jefferson and McKean counties), 171
inspections; 14 vehicles out of service; four drivers out of service; 72
citations; 185 warnings.
· Troop D (Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties), 144
inspections; seven vehicles out of service; three drivers out of service; 48
citations; 84 warnings.
· Troop E (Crawford, Erie, Venango and Warren counties), 72 inspections; 16
vehicles out of service; no drivers out of service; 47 citations; 83 warnings.
· Troop F (Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Potter,
Snyder, Union and Tioga counties), 103 inspections; 14 vehicles out of
service; six drivers out of service; 96 citations; 91 warnings.
· Troop G (Bedford, Blair, Centre, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata and Mifflin
counties), 102 inspections; seven vehicles out of service; two drivers out of
service; 26 citations; 90 warnings.
· Troop H (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Perry and York counties),
33 inspections; five vehicles out of service; one driver out of service; 10
citations; 35 warnings.
· Troop J (Chester and Lancaster counties), 60 inspections; 15 vehicles out of
service; three drivers out of service; 50 citations; 92 warnings.
· Troop K (Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties), 71 inspections;
three vehicles out of service; one driver out of service; 47 citations; 48
warnings.
· Troop L (Berks, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties), 68 inspections; seven
vehicles out of service; one driver out of service; 32 citations; 50 warnings.
· Troop M (Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties), 33 inspections; two
vehicles out of service; one driver out of service; 18 citations; 31 warnings.
· Troop N (Carbon, Columbia, Monroe and part of Luzerne counties), 42
inspections; 14 vehicles out of service; four drivers out of service; 72
citations; 15 warnings.
· Troop P (Bradford, Sullivan, Wyoming and part of Luzerne counties), 54
inspections; 10 vehicles out of service; two drivers out of service; 33
citations; 36 warnings.
· Troop R (Lackawanna, Pike, Susquehanna and Wayne counties), 76
inspections; 12 vehicles out of service; two drivers out of service; 50
citations; 82 warnings.
· Troop T (Pennsylvania Turnpike), 136 inspections; 15 vehicles out of service;
eight drivers out of service; 148 citations; 152 warnings.
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