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The Hunt for Rock Salt

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Rock salt is hard to find across the region, as stores large and small have limited supply.

Heading Into Day Six Without Power

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Families talk with NBC10's Doug Shimell about how they are staying warm and not going stir crazy after days without power.

Day 7: No Power

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It's been about a week since a massive ice storm knocked out power to more than half of PECO's customers and despite promises from the utility to get everyone back online Sunday night, more than 2,200 customers remained in the dark Tuesday morning.

"We do understand that customers are frustrated right now," said PECO spokesman Greg Smore said Monday. "We are working around the clock in order to get their service restored."

Around 5,000 utility crews from around North America are working around the clock. Crews worked hard through the weekend to re-string power lines and get the juice flowing again as scores of homes turned into freezers among sub-freezing February temperatures. 

A spokesperson for PECO, the largest power provider in the Philadelphia region with more than 1.6 million customers, said damage in some areas was more severe than they anticipated. On Sunday, PECO tweeted that they expected service for most of their customers to be restored. 

Monday morning, Smore said PECO is still dealing with some extensive damage.

"These estimated restoration times for customers are based on the current conditions and the damage experienced."

Smore said that once crews get on sight they can better estimate when the lights will be flipped back on.

"A lot of this is the extensive damage that we've seen that's been driving a lot of these estimated times to be further out than we first predicted."

Smore said the heavy wet snow from earlier in he week combined with the ice to knock down more lines and tree limbs than normal.

"Service will be restored today to a majority of customers who remain without power," said Smore Monday. "However, some customers in the most heavily-damaged areas will be without service into tomorrow."

As of 5 a.m. Tuesday 2,277 customers remained in the dark.

"We do understand that this is a very difficult time for our customers that remain without power," said Smore.

"We will get the lights on," said PECO spokeswoman Cathy Engel Menendez. "We're not going to stop until we do. That's our commitment. There's not a single person in the field or in this building that isn't 100 percent focused on how frustrated our customers are."

The storm, which coated the region in anywhere between a quarter-inch to a half-inch of ice, resulted in the second worst outage in PECO's history and their worst winter storm outage ever.

"This is the second-largest storm in terms of customer interruptions that we've had right behind Sandy," said Smore. "We had a total of 715,000 customers without power."

Menendez said the ice storm was "equally as devastating" as Superstorm Sandy in terms of outages.

"The thing that made it very different are the conditions that are crews faced getting to the job in the beginning when the roads were still icy and the storm was still progressing," she said. "Even now when our crews get on a job site, they have to typically dig out to set up their trucks. They have to chip away ice before they can even make the repairs. That's making the repairs last even longer." 

Smore said that the utility is "still making progress" but that it could be until Wednesday that all power is restored. That would get everything back online right before another winter storm moves in Wednesday night.

The utility dispatched an army of workers -- some crews from as far away as Arkansas, Illinois, and even Canada joined PECO's repair effort, according to Armstrong. Saturday afternoon, PSE&G, who restored service to the majority of its customers, sent 106 electric linemen to help.

“Ice storms are game-changers for utilities,” said John Latka, PSE&G’s vice president of electric operations. “PECO is faced with a daunting task given the extensive damage from this storm. Our employees know how important it is to get the lights back on, and even though conditions are difficult, answered the call for help.”

Officials say the out of state crews had to get acclimated to the power system and design in Pennsylvania before making repairs.

On Monday, Menendez came to NBC10 to answer questions from PECO customers. You can read those questions and answers here.

Pennsylvania counties fared the worst in this storm. Here's the breakdown of outages from PECO (PPL Electric had almost all customers back online by Monday morning):

Over in New Jersey, PSE&G said 9,180 customers, nearly all of them in Burlington and Mercer Counties, were without power at one point. By Friday morning, the utility announced that all power was restored.

By Saturday afternoon, Delmarva Power reported power had been restored to all affected customers in New Castle County, Del.

Officials urge people without power to alert the utility and DO NOT call 911.

You can use the following numbers to report your loss of power or make a report through each company's website.

PECO 

  • Emergency: 1-800-841-4141 (24 hour service)
  • Customer Service: 1-800-494-4000 (Mon through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat. 9 p.m. to 1 p.m.)

PPL 

  • Emergency: 1-800-DIAL-PPL (1-800-342-5775 (24 hour service)
  • Customer Service: 1-800-DIAL-PPL (1-800-342-5775) (Mon. through Fri. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Atlantic City Electric

  • Emergency: 1-800-833-7476
  • Customer Service: 1-800-642-3780

PSE&G 

  • Emergency: 800-436-PSEG (7734) (24 hour service)

Delmarva 

  • Emergency: New Castle County (DE) and Cecil and Harford Counties (MD) 1-800-898-8042
  • Kent and Sussex Counties (DE) and the Eastern Shore of Maryland 1-800-898-8045

 



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Couple Rescued From Burning Home

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NBC10's Christine Maddela reports in West Philadelphia on the dramatic rescue of a couple from their home.

Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Rock Salt Dangerous, Try Beet Juice

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During this snowy, icy winter, rock salt is on a lot of people's minds — especially Councilman Jim Kenney. He is calling for a hearing to see if there is a better option to melt ice.

He's particularly worried that the salt might cause health problems for dogs or small children. Here's more from an interview with a Philly station:

“The research we’ve done and the people we’ve talked to say that if they ingest too much, it can cause liver failure, pancreatic failure,” Kenney notes... Another concern for Kenney is whether the city lays the salt down too soon in advance of a storm:

“I’ve talked to people from cities that have a lot of snow. They don’t usually lay the rock salt down until the snow has started to fall. I’ve noticed here in Philadelphia we’ve been laying it down a day before the snow even starts.” Read more about this story on PBJ.com.

For more breaking business news go to PBJ.com



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Sinkhole Swallows Up Milk Truck

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A sinkhole swallowed up a milk truck this morning as it made its way down a snowy city street.

The Delgado Wholesale Dairy truck got stuck in a sinkhole along the 600 block of E Westmoreland Street in the Kensington section of Philadelphia around 9:30 a.m. Monday.

Nerdido Ricardo, owner of the Burlington, N.J.-based wholesaler, said one of his drivers was hauling about 25,000 pounds of milk and juice when the roadway suddenly gave way dropping the truck into an 8-foot deep ditch.

The driver of the truck wasn’t hurt, according to Ricardo.

After getting stuck, the hole appeared to grow larger around the rear tires of the 7-by-10-foot refrigerated truck.

It’s not clear what caused the incident.

Click here for more news from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.



Photo Credit: SkyForce10

Creveling Skates in the Olympics

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A Bucks County native took to the ice today in Sochi.

How did Kitnersville, Pa.’s Chris Creveling do?

SPOILER ALERT

The short track speedskater finished fourth in the sixth heat for the men’s 1500-meter short track.

The 27-year-old got outreached in a photo finish with China’s Dequan Chen. The fourth-place finish kept Creveling out of the semifinals.

Get full results of the early heats

Creveling, a graduate of Palisades High School, still will get a shot at his first Olympic gold in the men's 1,000 meter and 5,000 meter relay races later in the Games.

Tune into NBC10 in primetime Monday to see Creveling’s dramatic race.

Preparing for the Olympics takes time, dedication and fuel, as in the food one puts into one's body. One of Creveling's favorite foods is Pho, a Vietnamese soup. In addition, Creveling adopted a gluten-free diet. With years of dedication to the sport, he finally made his first Olympic team this year.

Creveling grew up as an inline skater, and skated at the same rink as USA teammate Kyle Carr in Frenchtown.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Day 6, No Power in Chester County

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Bob Kagel from the Chester County office of emergency management talks about the roads and home still not back from the storm.

Reward Jumps in Deadly Purse Snatch

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More than three weeks after a young woman was murdered over her purse, the crime that rocked one of Philadelphia's trendiest neighborhoods remains unsolved.

The local police union hopes an extra $10,000 changes that.

On Monday, Philadelphia Lodge 5 Fraternal Order of Police announced a $10,000 increase to the reward for finding Amber Long's killer.

Long, a 26-year-old architect, was walking with her mother Stephanie along the 900 block of Front Street in the Northern Liberties section of the city around 10:35 p.m. on Jan. 19 when they had their purses snatched by two men.

One of those men almost immediately opened fire striking Longpoint-blank in the chest. She died a short time later at the hospital.

The extra $10,000 kicked into a reward pool already standing at $37,000 comes with a catch.

To get the extra $10,000 a tipster must produce information leading to an arrest -- not necessarily a conviction -- and they must produce it by 11:59 p.m. this Sunday, according to the FOP.

Long and her mom had just gotten off the Market-Frankford El and were walking towards their car, which was parked on the street when the shooting occurred. In the days after the murder homicide detectives released surveillance video from the scene to show that Amber didn't put up a struggle when the purse was grabbed.

The city was has been offering $20,000 and the Fraternal Order of Police $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the two men responsible for the robbery and murder. The Citizens Crime Commission kicked in an additional $7,000 for the arrest and conviction of the men responsible for killing Long.

The extra $10,000 puts to reward total up to $7,000

Anyone with information is asked to call Philadelphia Police's tipline at 215.686.TIPS.



Photo Credit: Family Photo

Nor'easter to Deliver 6"+ of Snow

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Much of the area could see at least half a foot of heavy snow from a major nor'easter that will batter the region later this week. In some neighborhoods, those totals are expected to climb even higher from a storm that will arrive exactly one week after another significant ice storm devastated area communities.

"Here we go again," said NBC10 First Alert Weather Chief Meteorologist Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz as he poured over the latest forecast data in the First Alert Weather Center.

Two weather systems – one from the Pacific Northwest and another from the Gulf Coast – are moving east and will merge to the south of the Delaware and Lehigh Valleys forming the nor’easter. From there, the storm will move up the coast arriving by Wednesday evening and lasting through Thursday morning.

“When you have storms like this that develop in the Gulf of Mexico and you have very cold air to start with, you have the potential to have heavy accumulations in at least part of the area, depending on the track. So this one has a lot of potential,” Hurricane says.

Hurricane says this nor’easter has a lot of moisture associated with it, which will equate to heavy snow, heavy rain or both – depending on what part of the area you live.

A MORE TYPICAL WINTER STORM

This nor’easter will be vastly different from last week’s ice storm and is considered a “more typical” winter storm, according to Hurricane.

“That’s where northern and western areas get the most snow, coastal areas get the least and any changeover to ice is temporary,” he said.

The computer models have not synced up, but Hurricane says the European model is proving to be the most reliable for this storm. As of Monday afternoon, that means the storm appears to be tracking up the coast and not move out to sea, which would spare the very winter weary citizens that call the region home.

Based on the latest data, much of the region will see at least 6 inches of snow by the time its all over -- that includes Philadelphia. For the suburbs to the immediate north and west of the city, accumulations will climb to 10 inches or even more than that.

"This one will have more wind and less ice," he said. "Some places, especially north and west can get 10 inches plus out of this."

The temperature will play an important role in determining the snow-fate of much of the area. The mercury will be in below freezing on Wednesday and then is expected to rise into the upper 30s throughout the storm. The faster -- or slower -- that happens will determine whether some areas get more or less snow. But, with the latter may come other issues like flooding.

“What is it doing at the peak of the storm? Is it snowing at the peak of the storm or is it raining at the peak of the storm, so that makes a big difference in the total accumulation,” Hurricane said. “That’s the critical part of the forecast.”

“It all depends on the temperature. When the storm starts up, the precipitation may be fluffier snow, but it’s possible that at the peak of the storm it will be wet snow, which is what we don’t want to hear,” he said.

THE TIMELINE

Thursday morning “could be a mess in one way or another” as the worst of the storm moves out leaving the effects in its wake, Hurricane says. Here’s how the storm is expected to shake out.

TUESDAY
Daytime – Sunny and Bitter Cold with temperatures in the 20s
Nighttime – Frigid, bone-chilling cold with temperatures in the teens or even single digits

WEDNESDAY
Morning through Early Afternoon – Sunny, Dry and very cold
Evening (around 6 p.m.) – First of the moisture begins to move in
Nighttime (8 p.m. – Midnight) – Storm ramps up moving towards the heaviest snow and rainfall

THURSDAY
Overnight (Midnight – 6 a.m.) – Height of the storm with the heaviest snow and rainfall
Morning Rush (6 a.m. – 9 a.m.) – Storm begins to wind down
Mid-Morning (9 a.m. – Noon) – Lingering moisture falls
Afternoon (Noon and on) – Drying out begins

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

While the nor’easter progresses from fluffier snow to heavy, wet snow, that precipitation could equate to a new set of issues for people – including more power outages.

“I’m not as concerned about ice build-up, but heavy, wet snow accumulating on tree limbs that were already strained during the last storm, that might be on the edge; so you do have the potential for some more power outages,” Hurricane says.

Flooding can also be a concern should more heavy rain fall, especially when mixed with snow already laying on the ground from past storms.

"I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to relay it," Hurricane said of the foreceast. "I know people have had a rough time and some worse than rough and there is no joy in putting out a forecast like this."

ESTIMATED SNOW TOTALS

Lehigh/Berks/Poconos - 6 inches

Montgomery/Chester/Bucks/Mercer(NJ) - 10 inches

Philly/I-95 Corridor - 6 inches

Coastal Delaware/Southern Jersey - 2 to 4 inches

The closer the storm gets to the area, the better detail the NBC10 First Alert Weather Team will be able to provide. So check back often to NBC10.com’s Severe Weather Central for the latest information.

Got Questions for PECO?

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Last week's ice storm knocked out power to more than 700,000 customers across the Philadelphia region. About 14,000 PECO customers remain without power on the 6th day after the storm. Governor Tom Corbett compared the ice storm to the conditions experienced during Superstorm Sandy.

This has proved to be a trying time for customers and households who remain without power. Besides when will your power be back on, what questions do you have for PECO?

Post your questions to the NBC10 Facebook Page. A PECO representative will be in the NBC10 studio answering your questions Monday afternoon.

A mid-week Nor'easter will bring more snow. The storm event will come just one week after the ice storm. The temperature will play an important role in determining the snow-fate of much of the area. The mercury will be in below freezing on Wednesday and then rise into the upper 30s throughout the storm. The faster that happens, the faster the changeover to rain will begin -- limiting snowfall amounts. But, that may cause other issues like flooding.

With the Nor'easter pending, the volume of snow and wintry conditions could result in additional power outages. This winter season and its conditions is not leaving the area any time soon.

 

Caught on Cam: 7-Eleven Attack

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Police arrested two of four women who were allegedly caught on camera attacking and pepper spraying an employee at a local 7-Eleven.

Investigators say the women entered the 7-Eleven on the 100 block of North Pottstown Pike in Exton shortly after 2 p.m. on Saturday.

An employee at the store spotted at least one of the suspects stealing merchandise, according to police. Investigators say the employee followed the women out of the store and tried to use his cell phone to take pictures.

One of the women then allegedly removed the phone from the employee’s hand and a fight ensued. Police say the four women repeatedly punched the man and sprayed him in the face with pepper spray.

Despite the assault, investigators say the employee managed to grab one of the bags containing some of the stolen items. As he carried the bag back into the store, police say two of the women followed him and continued to attack him, punching him and placing him in a headlock. Police say they were unable to recover the bag however and all four suspects fled the scene in a white Ford Focus.

Investigators later identified the suspects as 18-year-old Shanelle Davis, 18-year-old Nirrah Jones, 19-year-old Asia Henderson and 22-year-old Najia Davis. All four suspects are Philadelphia residents, according to investigators.

(Pictured: L to R: Shanelle Davis, Nirrah Jones, Najia Davis, Asia Henderson)

Shanelle Davis was arrested at her home on Sunday. Investigators also say the getaway vehicle was recovered. She was remanded to the Chester County Prison after failing to post $75,000 cash bail.

Investigators say Nirrah Jones later turned herself in and identified herself as one of the suspects. She was remanded to the Chester County Prison after failing to post $50,000 cash bail. Police also say they recovered the stolen cell phone.

Investigators say Asia Henderson and Najia Davis are still on the loose. Warrants have been issued for their arrests.

If you have any information on their whereabouts, please call the West Whiteland Township Police Department at 610-363-0200. 
 



Photo Credit: West Whiteland Township Police

Woman in Brawl Brings Knife to School: Police

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A woman who police say was involved in a large brawl was arrested after she allegedly showed up to an elementary school with a steak knife.

On Friday, shortly before 3:30 p.m., Collingdale Police were called to Andrews and Sharon Avenues near Harris Elementary School for a report of a large crowd fighting. When they arrived, police say they witnessed a crowd consisting of children, teens and adults fighting and running through the street, blocking traffic.

Police managed to disperse the crowd and the scene was cleared. Police say one man came up to them claiming he was punched in the face. No one else reported that they were injured however.

A video of the brawl was recorded and posted online, quickly going viral. The Collingdale Police Department posted the video on their Facebook page, asking the public for help identifying the people involved.

On Monday, police, along with officials from the Harris Elementary School reviewed three videos of the incident. They determined that the brawl began as a fight between two girls which led to a widespread brawl as a crowd formed. Investigators say one of the two girls filed a police report claiming she was assaulted. However, police later identified the girl as a combatant in the fight and accused her of filing a false police report.

Police also say 37-year-old Kimberly Lamar punched a man in the face during the fight.
Police say Lamar showed up at the Harris Elementary School on Monday. Officers who were stationed at the school confronted her and discovered a steak knife in her jacket pocket, according to investigators.

Lamar was arrested and arraigned at the Collingdale District Court.

 



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

A New Future for LOVE Park

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Philadelphia city officials on Monday announced plans to move forward with the redevelopment and re-imagination of iconic LOVE Park.

Under the shadow of Robert Indiana's acclaimed LOVE sculpture, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and City Council President Darrell Clarke singed an agreement to begin the process of redesigning the 49-year-old Center City park at 15th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard.

"The importance of this iconic park as the very heart and soul of the city cannot be overstated," Nutter said.

Nutter said officials envision making a number of changes to the park, officially known as John F. Kennedy Plaza, including adding green space, installing a new water feature and creating concessions for visitors to enjoy.

“The result will be a beautiful public space that will serve the citizens, tourists and residents and many other visitors for decades to come," he said.

Officials would also like to open up access to the park from all four streets its bounded by -- 15th Street, 16th Street, JFK Boulevard and Arch Street -- and keep the LOVE statue as the heart of the plaza.

"[The changes will] bring some level of vibrancy to this park that it needs and no longer will people have to talk about Bryant Park in New York and York Park in London. They’re going to talk about LOVE Park in the City of Philadelphia," Clarke said. He added that the a redesign is "long overdue."

In December, Clarke reveled plans to make over the park that included adding seven different retail spaces to the park, but his ideas were not necessarily in sync with The Nutter Administration. Clarke said he and his staff have since worked with the Mayor's Office to come up with a joint plan.

The city will apply for $3 million in redevelopment money from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and also hopes to generate cash for the project from the sale of the parking garage underneath the park.

Officials say they are also looking for corporations and philanthropic organizations to donate cash to the project.

Liberty Property Trust, one of the city's largest developers who built Comcast Center and are developing the forthcoming Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, is offering engineering support pro-bono during the design phase, Nutter said. (Comcast is the parent company of NBC10.)

Concessions that are opened in the park would also contribute to cash to keep the new space maintained, according to the mayor. Nutter said a study will be commissioned to determine ways to maximize revenue from for-profit additions to the park.

“We all agree that we want to optimize the opportunities for revenue generation while maintaining the integrity of the current open space," he said.

The mayor also emphasized that public input would play a large role in the design process.

No specific timeline was given for when the project may come to fruition, but officials say the first steps will be reaching out for public comment, applying for the state funding and start initial planning work.


Contact Vince Lattanzio at 610.668.5532, vince.lattanzio@nbcuni.com or follow @VinceLattanzio on Twitter.



Photo Credit: Mary Schwind/ NBC Philadelphia

Investigation into Outage Response

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The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has launched an official investigation into PECO Energy's response to the record power outages caused by last week's ice storm.

That storm, left more than 700,000 PECO customers without power, some for as many as five days.

PUC spokesman Jennifer Kocher said the inquiry into PECO's response to the outages is a standard procedure that PUC follows after any mass power outage. The commission looks at a number of factors surrounding the outages and the utility company's subsequent response to determine if the appropriate actions were taken.

"Essentially, anytime we have a large scale outage, when we do our inquiry or review of it we go back to even the forecast to look at what we were expecting in terms of the weather and what actually occurred," Kocher said.

During the process of the review, the PUC will be considering input from local elected officials and local emergency responders about how well PECO coordinated with them during the outage response.

"We look at how much equipment they had, how many people they had responding, how the companies communicated with consumers and whether they provided them with adequate information. We look at every aspect of it, and we look at the damages; and all of that goes into making a determination about how things could possibly improve."

Kocher said the investigation can take anywhere from six months to a year to complete. The goal of the review is to help PECO make improvements to its outage response, but if inadequacies are found, the company could see some penalties.

"The focus would be getting improvements to any type of system, if there are any that can be made," she said. "If we find any violation of the utility code we can fine them, but typically we will issue recommendations."

While many customers remained in the dark in the days following the storm, representatives for PECO have asked its customers to be patient, admitting that damage in some areas was worse than they expected.

Representatives for PECO said their customers will only be billed for the power they used before the outages; they will not be charged for any of the outage days.

Unfortunately, for customers, the PUC said they do not have the authority to grant any credits or reimbursements for customers' outage-related damages and losses. Kocher encouraged customers to contact their insurance agents to get information about potential reimbursements available through home and renter insurance plans.

According to Kocher, the PUC will also be taking complaints from PECO customers into consideration during the review. Customers can file a complaint with the PUC by visiting www.puc.state.pa.us and following the link for filing complaints or by calling 800-692-7380.

PECO serves more than 1.6 million electric customers in Pennslyvania, making it the largest power provider in the region. Roughly 14,000 PECO customers were still in the dark as of Monday afternoon.



Photo Credit: Andrew Goldman

Extra Time to Sign Up for BSR

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The nasty weather knocked out power to hundreds of thousands

No need to run to your computer when sign up opens for the 2013 Blue Cross Broad Street Run early next month. This year you can walk over, or even forget about it for days, and still get a spot in the popular 10-mile road race on May 5.

After demand for the Broad Street Run caused problems for folks trying to sign up the day registration opened last year -- leaving many upset and without a spot in race -- this year, organizers came up with a new plan.

“The Blue Cross Broad Street Run will be using a lottery system to select our 2013 race participants,” race organizers announced last month.

Organizers note the issues last year were instrumental in the change:

The first-come, first-served basis discriminated against individuals who could not access their computers from work. In addition, due to the volume of traffic, most people experienced system issues which caused people to be uncertain if their entry had been accepted or not.

Last year it took just five hours for all the spots in the race to go to the 34,000-plus participants. This year there will be 40,000 spots up for grabs when registration opens at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 4. Wannabe participants will then have until Friday, Feb. 15 at 11:59 p.m. to register.

There will only be one entry allowed per person and lists of accepted and rejected runners will be posted on BroadStreetRun.com on Feb. 19 at 10 a.m.

Even if you miss out on the lottery you can still run if you have ran the race at least 10 times since its inception or if you are willing to raise at least $500 for a select group of charities.

Passengers Evacuated After Smoke Fills PATCO Cars

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Passengers were evacuated after smoke was found on a PATCO subway heading to New Jersey from Philadelphia.

Officials say 50 passengers were on the six-car train heading eastbound when smoke started to fill two of the cars around 5:15 p.m.

"We began to smell smoke while the train was still moving," said Jody Aiello, one of the passengers. "The car began to fill up with smoke as we were going on the ramp to the bridge."

The train stopped at the base of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge near 7th and Race Streets. According to PATCO spokesman Tim Ireland, a motor shorted out on the train, leading to the smoke. Passengers say the smoke began to fill the car and the lights went out.

"There was lots of smoke that you could see and smell," said Kaitlyn Delengowski. "Without communication it was a little frightening."

The passengers say they sat in the dark, waiting for word on what happened.

"Thank God we had our cell phones," said Andrew Ludewig, another passenger. "We actually found out what happened through NBC." 

Aiello says the conductor then began to inform them of the situation.

"The train conductor got on the speaker and said we are evacuating the train and need to move quickly but safely," she said. "That's pretty much the only information we had the entire time."

The passengers were slowly evacuated. They first removed two passengers who had medical issues. Passengers in the two cars where smoke was detected were then moved onto an eastbound train which departed from Franklin Square Station.

Not wanting to wait for the train, some passengers left and went into the station. The remaining passengers were eventually evacuated and no injuries were reported.

"It took about an hour of walking through each car in the dark before we finally got to the ladder and we climbed down off the train," Aiello said. "At that point, we were directed to walk through the tunnel where we were met by more firefighters and police officers with a ladder to climb up to the platform."

Aiello says the remaining passengers waited at Franklin Square as three trains passed before one stopped for them.

"People were cheering and happy to be safe and on our way home," she said.

The incident caused delays along the PATCO line. Normal service was restored however shortly before 8 p.m. PATCO officials also confirmed that another westbound train had a short in its motor Monday morning. Officials say the snow was the cause for both problems.

 

Also on NBC10.com:

 



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

PATCO Train Evacuation

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A PATCO train was evacuated after smoke filled two of the cars. Check out pictures sent to NBC10 by passengers on the train.

Photo Credit: Douglas Robbins

PECO Responds to Customer Questions

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Six days after a wicked ice storm hit the Philadelphia region, 10,000 PECO customers remain without power. Some homeowners expressed desperation and frustration as they managed through the cold temperatures.

At the height of the storm, 700,000 were without power. Governor Tom Corbett said the ice storm rivaled the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

"The single focus remains to get customers without service restored," said PECO spokesperson Cathy Engel-Menendez. "Every PECO employee works around the clock, everyone has a storm role, working 16 hour days. It's not just the people in the field. And many PECO employees are dealing with power outages themselves."

To compound the challenge to restore power to the lingering customers, a pending Nor'easter is expected to hit the region Wednesday, exactly one week after the ice storm.

PECO is working to get every customer back online despite the weather challenges, and some customers are noticing. Rob Rowello wrote on Facebook, "Just wanted to say THANK YOU to all the PECO linesmen who braved the conditions this past week to get my power back on. You guys are great!"

NBC10 posed viewer questions to PECO representative Cathy Engel-Menendez. Her answers are below: 

Rob Rowello: With so many people using portable generators to power their homes, can the media PLEASE let the public know how to safely use them?

Engel-Menendez: It's a personal choice to use a generate. If a customer uses a generator, follow the manufacturer's guidelines for safety. Never connect your generator into the electric system of the home. The risk is if the generator is connected incorrectly it can begin backfeeding into the system. It's energizing out from the home into the PECO electric system. This is called backfeeding. It could hurt guys working on the power line and kill them.

Tracy Ward Marrocco: I'd also like to know how PECO determines who gets sent where and when. The dispatch system seems highly inefficient and archaic.

Engel-Menendez: When we have an emergency, we have crews placed throughout the service terriority so no one geography is prioritized. We restore service first to critical customers. Hospitals, water and sewage treatment faciltiies first so there's safety services for everyone. (The strategy is to determine) what work can we complete that restores service to the largest number of customers as possible. The work is not done geographically. That can cause frustration. We go to a neighborhood, complete a repair job and re-energize the circuit. Some may be left without power because somewhere on the circuit there's another area of damage. Our crews would not be able to stay to restore service right then because they need need to go to the next job with the highest number of customers.

Wendy Davis Anderson: Why did PECO wait until after the storm hit to call for help from other utilities?

Engel-Menendez: When utilities are expericing service needs, they go through the Mutual Assistance Management Organization. They manage identifying service crews to come in and help. Our crews and their contractors who work with us frequently. When visiting utilities come, we have to bring them onboard, give safety briefings and make sure they understand the differences of our system. This storm has resulted in th largest field force we have ever mobilized. There are 6,800 people working on this ice storm response. Only 2,700 of them are PECO employees.

Mike Bigdaddy Fondots: Are they reimbursing for lost food like Edison Power does in California?

Engel-Menendez: Our claims and reimbursement process is designed to reimburse customers for things we could have prevented and did not. Mother Nature and an ice storm is not one of those things.

 

 

 



Photo Credit: NBC10.com

Bad Weather Leads to Blood Shortage for Red Cross

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The American Red Cross is in urgent need of donors after several blood drives were canceled due to the severe winter weather.

Red Cross officials say they need blood and platelet donors in order to help restock their blood supply this February. The winter weather throughout January across the country forced the cancellation of about 770 blood drives, leading to more than 25,000 uncollected blood and platelet donations.

In just the past week alone, 25 blood drives were cancelled in Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

“Blood products were distributed to hospitals as quickly as the donations came in,” said Anthony C. Tornetta, Communications Manager of the Red Cross Penn-Jersey Blood Services Region.  “The extraordinary number of cancellations in January was the equivalent of the Red Cross having to shut down its national operations for more than an entire day.”

Red Cross officials say they must collect on average about 15,000 units of blood each day for patients at approximately 2700 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide.

Red Cross officials are encouraging all donors with blood types O positive, O negative A negative and B negative.

To donate blood, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit the Red Cross website for more information. Donors must have a blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification during a check-in. Donors must also be at least 17-years-of age(16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and be in generally good health.

 



Photo Credit: NBC10.com
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