HARRISBURG, DAUPHIN CO. (WOLF) \u2014 Governor Josh Shapiro has signed a statewide Proclamation of Disaster Emergency as Pennsylvania braces for a powerful winter storm expected to bring heavy snow and bitter cold beginning Sunday night.<\/p>\n
The declaration allows the Commonwealth to quickly access emergency funding and mobilize state resources to support counties and municipalities during the storm response.<\/p>\n
State agencies, including the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), are already preparing for significant impacts across much of the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur teams are working around the clock to ensure Pennsylvania is ready,\u201d Governor Shapiro said. \u201cThis disaster declaration ensures our agencies have the tools and resources they need. If you can stay off the roads, do so \u2014 and if you must travel, follow guidance from state and local authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The proclamation enables the state to immediately draw down funding and deploy personnel, equipment, and emergency support where needed. The recently signed 2025\u201326 state budget doubled disaster response funding from $20 million to $40 million, strengthening Pennsylvania\u2019s ability to respond quickly to emergencies.<\/p>\n
PEMA\u2019s Commonwealth Response Coordination Center has been activated and will remain staffed throughout the storm to coordinate statewide response efforts.<\/p>\n
PEMA Director Randy Padfield said the declaration provides flexibility to stage resources in advance and respond rapidly if conditions worsen. Officials are urging residents to prepare now, stay informed, and make safe decisions throughout the storm.<\/p>\n
While the disaster declaration does not automatically restrict travel, motorists are strongly advised to avoid unnecessary trips. Local roadway restrictions may be implemented depending on conditions.<\/p>\n
PennDOT encourages drivers to check 511PA.com for real-time road conditions across more than 40,000 miles of roadway. The free service offers weather forecasts, traffic camera feeds, speed information, and winter condition maps. The system is also accessible through the 511PA mobile app, by dialing 5-1-1, or through regional social media alerts.<\/p>\n
Residents are encouraged to visit ReadyPA for storm preparedness tips and safety guidance.<\/p>\n
Officials emphasize that preparation and caution will be critical as the winter storm moves into the Commonwealth this weekend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HARRISBURG, DAUPHIN CO. (WOLF) \u2014 Governor Josh Shapiro has signed a statewide Proclamation of Disaster Emergency as Pennsylvania…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120902,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":{"0":"post-120901","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pennsylvania","8":"tag-pennsylvania","9":"tag-pennsylvania-headlines","10":"tag-pennsylvania-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}