Emmaus Borough Manager: "I've Never Seen Anything Like It"

Emmaus nursed a tall cup of coffee as he sat in the town's chilly, lightless on Monday morning.

"In 46 years, I've never seen anything like it," he said.

A rare October snowstorm swept into town Saturday dumping wet snow that broke, cracked and splintered trees - then as power lines fell across the Lehigh Valley. Neely wouldn't speculate on when power might be restored even though he has heard plenty of rumors and speculation.

PPL showed a slight uptick in Emmaus customers without power Monday. The number was 6,454 at 2:30 p.m. up from 6,438 at the start of the day.

Zions Lutheran Church, 5901 Kings Highway South, has opened a "warming center" with coffee and food for those without power. The church will remain open Monday night for anybody who needs a warm place to sleep.

The borough's priority is "cleaning things up so that PPL crews have access," he said. Public works crews began clearing debris along the Main Street/Chestnut Street corridor. Front-end loaders and pick-up trucks are being used to haul away piles of branches and limbs - many still leafed with bright fall foliage.

The is using generators to power traffic lights at some of the busiest intersections. Traffic is moving cautiously through intersections where traffic lights are dark.

Neely urged residents to "sit tight, don't panic, wait for PPL to get its job done."

"Help out your neighbors. Check on the elderly," he added.

Just a handful of businesses were able to open including and a Hess gas station on the west end of town.

There's no word on how big of an economic hit might befall the borough's many restaurants, shops and other businesses. A manager at the Superior Restaurant told Patch he spent Sunday afternoon disposing of spoiled meat.

Fast food restaurants on the town's commercial strip were all closed. The snow caused part of a canopy to collapse at downtown restaurant

Also empty were the many buildings of health and wellness book/magazine publisher ., which is based in Emmaus.