Tweet

If you are having trouble viewing this email, click here.

This past Wednesday I joined Governor Tom Wolf, House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia/Delaware), and other Wolf Administration officials to discuss the disastrous flooding of Eastwick, Darby and other communities in the Philadelphia and Delaware County regions.

I am very pleased that the Governor announced his plan to address flood hazard mitigation by requiring the State Planning Board to develop a series of recommendations and best practices relative to land use, planning, zoning, and storm water management, with the emphasis on reducing the incidence of flash flooding in communities that impacts citizens and businesses.

The calamitous effects of climate change on our communities, and on communities across Pennsylvania cannot continue to be pushed away as an issue to deal with down the road. These issues are here today, and people are losing their homes and businesses to flooding and more extreme weather patterns today.

The State Planning Board will establish state goals and strategic investments to assist municipalities, which will then be incorporated by state agencies into their appropriate funding applications.

As we experience more extreme weather, we must develop statewide mechanisms to get assistance to the Pennsylvanians in crisis who need it. In 2018, more than 5,000 homes across the state were damaged in a series of weather and climate related incidents, but no single incident met the threshold for federal emergency management funding assistance. The damage amounted to over $63 million in public damages not covered by federal assistance.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Governor Wolf is also advocating for Pennsylvania to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a market-based program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This will further address the grave impacts of climate change along the northeastern corridor. 

I am pleased that the Governor and his administration, as well as my esteemed colleague in the House Leader McClinton, have joined me in this fight to continue demanding climate justice for our neighborhoods and communities across the state. 

Updated Travel Restrictions for Pennsylvania

The COVID-19 pandemic is now more widespread and deadly then every before in Pennsylvania. There have been almost 400,000 cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania since March, and we are approaching 11,000 deaths due to this virus. Hospitals are filling with COVID-19 patients rapidly, with fears that staffing at hospitals may not be able to keep up with this growing crisis.

Governor Tom Wolf, Secretary of Health in Pennsylvania Rachel Levine, Mayor Jim Kenny and county Departments of Health across the state continue to advise people on how to stay safe. The main guidance is to stay home whenever possible, wear a mask whenever you leave the house or are around people outside of your immediate household, and wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer frequently.

Governor Wolf and Secretary Levine have also updated travel guidance for every single person entering Pennsylvania as follows:

• The Secretary of Health issued an order requiring travelers over age 11 entering Pennsylvania from locations outside the Commonwealth, including Pennsylvanians who are returning home from locations outside the Commonwealth, to produce evidence of a negative COVID-19 test or place themselves in travel quarantine for 14 days upon entering, unless they receive a negative test result during the 14-day travel quarantine period.
• If someone cannot get a test or chooses not to, they must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Pennsylvania.
• This does NOT apply to:

• Individuals traveling to and from the Commonwealth for the purposes of work.
• Individuals who are returning to the Commonwealth after traveling outside the Commonwealth for less than 24 hours. 
• Individuals traveling to and from the Commonwealth for medical reasons, including individuals providing comfort and support to a patient.
• Military personnel traveling to the Commonwealth by order or directive of a state or Federal military authority.
• Individuals in transit through the Commonwealth to another destination, provided that the time spent in the Commonwealth is only the amount of time necessary to complete the transit, make use of travel services, such as a highway rest stop, or make necessary travel connections.
• Individuals traveling to comply with a court order, such as child custody, or other exemptions issued by guidance.

Visit health.pa.gov for more information regarding COVID-19 related to travel, schools, providers/facilities/businesses, the COVID-19 vaccine, COVID-19 testing, COVID-19 contact tracing, and statewide COVID-19 data. 

Offices of State Senator Anthony H. Williams

Open Monday thru Friday. See hours below.

www.senatoranthonyhwilliams.com

Main District

2901 Island Ave.

Suite 100

Philadelphia, PA 19153

215-492-2980

Fax: 215-492-2990

9 am - 5 pm

Delaware County

85 N. Lansdowne Ave.

Lansdowne, PA 19050 610.622.1390

Fax: 610.622.1359

9 am - 5 pm

South Philadelphia

2103 Snyder Ave.

Philadelphia, PA 19145

215-755-9185

Fax: 215-952-3375

Mon. - Thurs. 9 am - 5 pm

Harrisburg

Senate Box 203008

Harrisburg, PA 17120

717-787-5970

Fax: 717-772-0574

9 am - 5 pm