Gov. Wolf Requests Federal Disaster Assistance for January Snowstorm

HARRISBURG (KDKA) -- Governor Wolf is asking President Obama to declare January's snowstorm a major disaster in Pennsylvania, in order to access financial reimbursement.

The snow stormstorm that hit on Jan. 22-23 left a mess that shut down a stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and left motorists stranded for about 24 hours.

"Our numbers so far show that municipal, county and state agencies spent more than $55 million to respond to this storm," said Governor Tom Wolf. "In many places, it wiped out an entire year's budget for snow response and removal, and winter isn't over yet."

If approved, federal disaster assistance will be distributed to municipalities in 31 counties for costs associated with the snowstorm.

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In order to qualify for the money, counties must meet certain criteria. They must prove there was:

- A record or near-record snowfall.
- The costs to the county and municipalities for snow removal operations during a continuous 48-hour period and any other costs for emergency protective measures exceeded the county per capita threshold of $3.56.
- The total costs of all counties meeting both criteria exceeded the state threshold of $17.9 million.

The counties that met both record or near record snowfall totals and county costs are: Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Mifflin, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Somerset, Snyder, Westmoreland, and York.