Sigh. A foot of snow (or more) blankets county

Schools, county offices closed; hope for warmer weather next week? By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times The snow flies Thursday morning in Pocopson, where more than nine inches of snow had fallen by 9 a.m. A mix of snow, sleet and rain is expected to continue throughout the day with additional accumulations of 3 to 5 inches. With more than a foot of snow likely to blanket Chester County, here’s a couple...

County: 5 percent of residents still powerless

‘Disaster Help Request’ form will facilitate getting people assistance  Nearly a week after the ice storm, Chester County continues to be focused on life safety issues as 5 percent of homes and businesses throughout the county remain without power.  Gathering information regarding need within the communities is critical, said a news release from the county’s Department of Community...

Winter of our discontent: yup, more snow coming

5,000 still without power as new storm looms By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times This low pressure system is expected to roll up the east coast of the United States, bringing snow, sleet and freezing rain to most of the coastal areas, according to the National Weather Service. Image courtesy NWS. Just as Chester County gets back to something like normal, the National Weather Service is predicting a major...

Art Watch: The Bizzigirls

Spotlighting local good stuffs for the good of our locals By Lele Galer, Columnist, The Times This week’s Art Watch highlights Bizzigirls, a non-profit community marketing cooperative that has monthly art shows to benefit small local non-profits that provide services to local people in need.  Bizzigirls a wonderful group of high energy women who get together to raise money and awareness for...

Ice storm aftermath: the good, the bad and the unacceptable

Chester County Emergency Services stands out for praise, PECO gets hit on many fronts By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times For most of us, the worst is over. As of Monday morning, just about 10,000 Chester County homes and businesses were still without power, according to PECO, down from about 200,000 Wednesday — while others wait for restoration of phone and Internet service from Verizon and Comcast. Schools...

100K still without power, PECO says fix could take days more

Some schools reopen, but trees, power lines still down around county Updated: 11:20 a.m., adds water info, warnings Days into recovery efforts, this large tree branch rests of power lines — blocking southbound traffic — in East Fallowfield, Friday. Although power has been restored to more than 80,000 PECO customers in Chester County, as of Friday morning, more than 130,000 were said to still...

Officials urging patience, offering safety tips

Many county residents will have cleanup work to do once power is restored. Recovery from ice storm, including power restoration, could take days Patience: That’s what government officials are recommending as county residents – most without power – attempt to rebound from the ice storm. With some exceptions where large trees fell, most county roads are passable; however, many resemble accident...

County officials: Best not to venture outside

Mother Nature puts most of area in lockdown Updated at 3:35 p.m. with information on shelters At least two trees down completely block Route 82 in East Marlborough. Trees and branches are down across the county, closing roads and making travel hazardous. An icy coating on trees and roadways has wreaked havoc with travel and power lines throughout Chester County, cutting off power to more than 180,000...

County offering citizens free emergency training

Course to enable residents to provide aid to themselves, others in crisis The county is inviting citizens to become life-savers by receiving free training that will enable them to help themselves, their families,  neighbors – even first-responders  – in an emergency. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training is designed to prepare residents for a catastrophic event, potentially saving...

More of the same: snow closes schools, county offices

Forecasts of nasty weather Monday morning turned out to be accurate, as wet slushy, heavy snow has closed virtually every school in the area and all Chester County offices. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a Winter Storm Warning early Monday, calling for accumulations in Chester County of between four and eight inches. The snow started just before the morning rush Monday and produced slick...