Philadelphia Public Schools, City Government Closed Again Tuesday
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Most of Philadelphia will be shut down again on Tuesday, in the expected aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Not only will Philadelphia City Hall's workforce be off again tomorrow, except for essential services, schools in the School District and Archdiocesan school systems will take the day off on Tuesday as well.
The mayor and school superintendent Dr. William Hite spoke this afternoon at the school administration building on North Broad Street.
Hite echoed the mayor's concern that they have to proceed with caution because of this mammoth storm.
In addition, SEPTA general manager Joe Casey said that SEPTA will not have Tuesday morning service.
Casey says that once the storm passes on Tuesday, it will take upwards of eight hours to inspect and evaluate the infrastructure and all of the equipment, including the tracks, and sort everything out.
A press release from SEPTA on Monday said, in part:
"Attempts will be made to restore at least some service by late afternoon.
"It is anticipated that full service will resume on the Broad Street Line and Market-Frankford Line first, followed by bus and city trolley service with possible detours and cutbacks. Other modes of service - Regional Rail, Norristown High Speed Line and Route 101 and 102 Trolleys - which operate in areas prone to flooding and track obstructions, may be slower to return to service.
"CCT - Paratransit Service has been able to accommodate scheduled dialysis patients today and is expected to honor dialysis reservations on Tuesday.
"Based on Amtrak's notification that their Northeast Corridor service will be disrupted until Wednesday morning, the following Regional Rail Lines will suspended until further notice:
- Paoli/ Thorndale Line
- Airport Line
- Chestnut Hill West Line
- Wilmington/Newark Line
- Cynwyd Line
- Trenton Line
"Due to the amount of rainfall and flooding levels it is highly unlikely that the Norristown/Manayunk Line will operate tomorrow."
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Philadelphia police commissioner Charles Ramsey has dispatched additional officers throughout the duration of the storm, and PGW has 300 crews out ready to deal with potential gas disruptions caused by the storm. If you smell a gas leak in the city, call PGW's 24-hour emergency line at 215-235-1212.
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