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Firefighters from New Centerville helped Seven Springs' crew get some early road debris out of the way Monday as rain and heavy winds began to grow heavier in Somerset County. New Centerville's Drew McClintock and John Fundis helped to cut and carry the trunk of a large fallen tree that blocked County Line Road near the golf course at Seven Springs. (Staff photo by Roger Vogel / October 29, 2012) |
Monday was a day of watching the weather and waiting to see Sandy’s impact on Somerset County.
National Weather Service observer A.J. Jarosz in Glencoe recorded 4.05 inches of rain by Monday evening.
“I’ve never had 4 inches of rain in a 10-hour period in the 10 years I’ve been doing this,” he said. “That’s quite a bit of rain.”
The rain changed to snow across Somerset County by about 7 p.m. Monday. At higher locations, such as Seven Springs Mountain Resort, rain began changing to snow around 5 p.m.
About 2 inches of snow had fallen in Somerset Borough by about 8:45 p.m. Thunder and lightning added to the mix at about 9 p.m.
National Weather Observer in Somerset Steve Shaulis said he recorded about three inches of precipitation total.
On Monday afternoon Dave Fox, Somerset County 911 coordinator, said the center was prepared in the event that there would be a major weather issue. He said he has been in contact with the American Red Cross in case a need for local shelters arises. He said the Red Cross has predetermined locations for emergency shelters. A shelter was opened Monday night at Shaler Area Middle School in Allegheny County.
“People need to have supplies of food, water and an alternative heat system for about 72 hours if for some reason the power goes out,” he said.
In the event of a power outage, residents can call Penelec at 1-888-LIGHTSS or the Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative at 814-445-4106.
Fox said several municipalities have reported that they have responders on standby. He said Somerset Borough will be staffed 24-7 and several fire departments also have people in the station in case of an emergency.
