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Wilkes gets best of King’s in first men’s hockey game between two programs

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Not a mirage: Camel along Route 309 during snowstorm

<p>Snowfall totals across Luzerne County during Thursday&#8217;s storm ranged from 8 to 16 inches, according to the National Weather Service.</p><p>Amid the havoc that intense downfall caused, the county&#8217;s 911 staff handled more than 2,500 calls, according to county Manager C. David Pedri.</p><p>&#8220;In times of need, it is often a county employee who will be there. This was certainly the case last evening,&#8221; Pedri wrote in an email to council, referencing both the 911 department and Emergency Management Agency.</p><p>&#8220;They were instrumental in coordinating the incredible amount of vehicle accidents and safety issues that occurred throughout the evening,&#8221; Pedri wrote of 911. &#8220;Their tireless work help many people last evening.&#8221;</p><p>EMA Director Lucy Morgan &#8220;braved the storm&#8221; Thursday night to provide assistance from the agency building on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre, he said.</p><p><strong>911 call volume</strong></p><p>County 911 Executive Director Fred Rosencrans said the 2,500 calls occurred during a 24-hour period, and the usual number is 1,060 during that time span.</p><p>Approximately 1,800 calls were processed between 3 p.m. and midnight, with many about stranded vehicles, he said.</p><p>&#8220;It was definitely a storm that caused some issues for people,&#8221; Rosencrans said.</p><p>He believes problems were heightened because it was the first snowstorm of the season and &#8220;really started sticking&#8221; to the roadways during the evening commute.</p><p>In light of the forecast, Rosencrans said he planned ahead with extra staff. Some supervisors and managers stayed, and workers refused to take breaks during the rush, he said.</p><p>&#8220;Two of my managers still didn&#8217;t go home from last night,&#8221; he said Friday afternoon. &#8220;You just come together and get through it.&#8221;</p><p>Workers processed calls as quickly as they could, he said, stating his staff is well-trained and accustomed to stressful situations.</p><p>At one point, 15 to 20 calls were awaiting processing with 19 staffers already handling others on the floor, he said.</p><p>The county agency had to dispatch units from the Back Mountain to respond to a call in Pittston because nobody else was available.</p><p>&#8220;We literally almost ran out of medic units in the county at one point. That&#8217;s how deep and serious some of the shortages were with units,&#8221; Rosencrans said.</p><p><strong>EMA assessment</strong></p><p>Morgan said her agency and volunteers stayed in communication with police and emergency responders throughout the storm to determine if they had any unmet needs, and she and volunteers partially activated the agency around 8 p.m.</p><p>Around 10 p.m., State Police in Wyoming asked the agency for assistance checking on stranded motorists because the troopers were overwhelmed with calls. Morgan said she was able to connect with emergency volunteers to handle that task.</p><p>The agency also placed the American Red Cross, a warming station and group transportation on standby in case, she said.</p><p>At midnight, calls to EMA stopped, said Morgan, who slept at the agency as a precaution.</p><p><strong>WB response</strong></p><p>In Wilkes-Barre, city Administrator Ted Wampole praised Operations Manager Butch Frati and DPW employees for their efforts during the storm.</p><p>&#8220;I think they responded really well&#8221; given the amount of snow we had, Wampole said.</p><p>According to the National Weather Service, snowfall totals around the county included 8 inches in Harding, 10 inches in Exeter, 12 inches in Mountain Top and 16 inches in Sweet Valley.</p><p>Many motorists who got stuck in hours-long delays on Interstate highways and local roads were less than complimentary of how regional and state crews handled cleanup.</p><p>Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Region 4 spokesman James May said the agency was prepared and that state roads had been pre-treated. But the volume of snow made it difficult for the region&#8217;s 205 plows to keep up &#8212; and many were stuck in traffic as workers tried to get home during rush hour when the storm was at its height.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">John Walski blows snow from the lot at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre on Friday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL111718snow1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>John Walski blows snow from the lot at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre on Friday morning. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL111718snow2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ron Williams walks beneath the snow-coated leaves on South Franklin Street on Friday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL111718snow2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Ron Williams walks beneath the snow-coated leaves on South Franklin Street on Friday morning. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL111718snow3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Imogen Rea, 7, sleds down the Bell Tower steps at Wyoming Seminary on Friday morning after Sem high school math teacher Jim Doherty gave her a push. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL111718snow3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Imogen Rea, 7, sleds down the Bell Tower steps at Wyoming Seminary on Friday morning after Sem high school math teacher Jim Doherty gave her a push. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL111718snow4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Imogen Rea, 7, sleds down the Bell Tower steps at Wyoming Seminary on Friday morning after Sem high school math teacher Jim Doherty gave her a push. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL111718snow4-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Imogen Rea, 7, sleds down the Bell Tower steps at Wyoming Seminary on Friday morning after Sem high school math teacher Jim Doherty gave her a push. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL111718snow5-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Nine-year-old Ellie and 11-year-old Ryan Kersey slide down the snow-covered steps of the Wyoming Seminary Bell Tower with help from math teacher Jim Doherty. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL111718snow5-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>Nine-year-old Ellie and 11-year-old Ryan Kersey slide down the snow-covered steps of the Wyoming Seminary Bell Tower with help from math teacher Jim Doherty. </caption4><photoCredit4>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL111718snow6-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Collin Jones, 2, of Edwardsville &#8216;helps&#8217; his dad of DIR Handyman shovel a sidewalk in Forty Fort on Friday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL111718snow6-1.jpg</photo5><caption5>Collin Jones, 2, of Edwardsville &#8216;helps&#8217; his dad of DIR Handyman shovel a sidewalk in Forty Fort on Friday morning. </caption5><photoCredit5>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit5></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Pedri: County agencies stepped up in storm</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes and Roger DuPuis</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Luzerne County agencies stepped up in snowstorm, Pedri says