By Jack Tomczuk
Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration has spent $59 million on winter storm response efforts since more than 9 inches of snow and ice fell Jan. 25 in Philadelphia.
The number, described as a preliminary estimate, may rise as additional costs are finalized, her office said in a news release late Tuesday afternoon.
Officials said the money was used to boost manpower, hire snow removal contractors, buy salt and other equipment, and enhance coordination across municipal departments. Crews dropped 15,000 tons of road salt over the three-week period.
City-operated warming centers – open to the homeless and those without access to reliable heat – remained open for 26 consecutive days, serving nearly 39,000 people, the administration said. Officials added that 4,400 stayed overnight at designated recreation centers.
Outreach workers conducted more than 5,600 contracts with unsheltered individuals, in an attempt to get them out of the dangerous cold, according to Parker’s office.
The Philadelphia Water Department has had to fix 61 water main breaks since Jan. 19 and issued notices to 98 property owners for leaks in private service lines, the mayor’s team said.
While the city has faced criticism on social media and elsewhere, Parker has defended the municipal government’s response. The mayor told reporters at a Feb. 4 news conference that her administration was “prepared” for the storm, while acknowledging that prolonged frigid conditions complicated cleanup efforts.
The average temperature between Jan. 24 and Feb. 9 in Philadelphia was 21.3 degrees, the coldest 17-day stretch in 37 years, according to the National Weather Service’s regional office.
At least an inch of snow remained on the ground for 23 days, before finally melting down earlier this week. The streak is the 8th longest since 1893, the NWS found.
Forecasters are monitoring the possibility of another significant winter storm beginning Sunday.