SCOTT LITTLE MANHEIM TOWNSHIP

Scott Little, Emergency Management Coordinator for Manheim Township

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
That's and clean up and make roadways accessible due to
the severe damage that occurred on Saturday evening.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Scott, what's the worst is it? Tree limbs downs, of flooding?
Would you guys have.

Speaker 1 (00:13):
We have a lot of trees that are uprooted completely,
we have power lines down, telephone pulls down. That's the
challenge at the moment for our public works team also
for peng dot to get the roadways clear because of
we've got to get PPL in the secure the lines
that are down before road crew members can start clearing

(00:35):
the roadways.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Scott, You've been on the job for a while. How
how would you rank this? This is one of the
worst you've seen, this happened before. What do you think?

Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yeah? Absolutely, I think this is one of the worst
storms we saw come through South central PA in a
very long time. We know PPLs talking about this is
the largest storm they've seen in a hundred years. So yeah,
I think for a lot of our residents that we're
out assessing our residents are also agreeing that this is
the biggest storm that they've faced.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
How does emergency management take into consideration, Like, obviously there
are entire neighborhoods that are without power, this, that and
the other thing. But how do they prioritize who goes
first to get their power back on.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
YEP. So we look at and we have to coordinate
with other local organizations through County E m A and
also prioritize with with PPL. So we look at what
lines are down, which areas are affecting the most amount
of community members. So that's how again it goes back

(01:42):
to the prioritizing through PPL and what their staff is
and what their limitations are. So we'll really have to
work collaboratively with all the different partners to make things
back to where we need it to be.

Speaker 3 (01:58):
And we keep boarding, you know, reminding people I guess too,
is you know, if you do see a down power line,
obviously call you guys, but don't go anywhere near it.
Like doesn't mean that because it's you know, down on
the ground. It's not you know, operational right.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
Exactly because you don't know if it's still live or not.
So one of those things that we've been struggling with
since Saturday night is our township police and road crew.
We're putting out barricades. We still continue to have people
driving around barricades driving through pre people's front yards because
the roads blocks. So we want people, we continue to

(02:36):
say it. You know, if you can stay home, help
your neighbors clean up your local neighborhood while first responders
and also PPL and the other utility companies are out
there trying to clear the roadways as best as we can.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
It's Scott Little from the emergency management folks in Manheim Township.
Before we let you, any advice to everybody's a little frustrated.
You mentioned helping each other out. Any advice for the
person listening going, ah, when's this going to be over?

Speaker 1 (03:10):
Yeah? So again, you know, it just takes time, right,
We have so much damage that again, this is probably
the biggest storm that we have been faced with, and
it's going to take time as we prioritize our neighborhoods
and make sure everybody's safely put back together and have
all power and utilities restored.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
Scott, we appreciate what you're doing. Thank you so much,
and if there's anything we can help with, let us know.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
Thank you are.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
Scott a Little with Mannheim Township. Please be safe as
you're just getting out and getting started this morning. It's
now eight forty five