[Update 11:39 p.m.] Plymouth-Whitemarsh-Conshohocken Hurricane Sandy Information

[11:30 p.m.]: Sandy seems to be in full force, with Montgomery County emergency workers being dispatched to dozens, even hundreds of incidents around the county. Many appear to be related to strong winds and downed wires, with PECO estimating that more than 50,000 customers are without power in the county.

Locally, a number of roads have closed, particularly in Whitemarsh Township. Please scroll down to our road closure section to see the latest info.

A Montgomery County communications officer told Patch that sustained winds of 25 m.p.h., with gusts up to 45 m.p.h., were recorded at Colonial Elementary School at about 11 p.m. Despite now being on the storm's back end, similar gusts have been recorded in N.J., meaning residents can expect at least this level of wind for the next several hours.

PECO is reporting that up to 3,500 customers are without power in both Plymouth and Whitemarsh, representing a maximum of nearly 50 percent of the population, and up to 500 residences are without power in Conshohocken. Complicating matters, a PECO spokeswoman told Patch that the utility is currently not responding to any calls, due to unsafe wind conditions that could present a danger to workers in bucket trucks. PECO will not continue repairs until wind conditions improve, meaning it could be hours before repairs are made.

While perusing the following information, please observe timestamps, as some information may be out of date. Information that is no longer showing on county dispatch pages has been moved to the bottom of the article.

The Colonial School District and Germantown Academy have cancelled school Tuesday. Plymouth Township Offices and the GPCC will be closed Tuesday.

Check back with Patch as we continue to report.

Key: [C]- Conshohocken, [P]- Plmouth, [W]- Whitemarsh

Links

• Patch Live MontCo Coverage & Chat | Map
• Weather.com's interactive stormtracker | Satellite | Water Levels
• NOAA's Hurricane Sandy advisory page
• Montgomery County active incidents

Road closures/obstructions

[W] 11:30 p.m.-

• Manor Rd b/w Ridge & Dawnwood
• Barren Hill Rd b/w Harts & Scarlet Oak
• Militia Hill Rd b/w Joshua & Stenton.
• Militia Hill Rd Stenton & Campus
• Church Rd b/w Germantown & Ridge
• Thomas Rd b/w Kottler & Presidential
• Harts Ln b/w Barren Hill & Harts Ridge
• 7100 block of Sheaff Ln
• 800 block of Juniper Rd.  

[P] 11:30 p.m.-

• Conshohocken Road between Academy and Station Avenue
• Plymouth Road between Johnson and Sandy Hill Road
• Westbound lanes of Ridge Pike blocked at Joshua Road due to down tree

[W]- REOPENED: Due to an electrical fire on a pole, W Valleygreen Rd is closed from the Cricket Club to the Cricket/W Valleygreen junction. [2:00 p.m.]

Incidents

[W][6:05 p.m.]- Police radio: Large tree down causing fire in middle of Barren Hill Road near Scarlet Oak Drive, Whitemarsh.

[W]- CLEARED: Vehicle accident reported on Pine Ridge Drive near Ridge Pike. Car crashed into pole, causing unknown injuries and blocking one lane of traffic, according to County emergency communications [2:10 p.m. Monday]
[W/P]- PECO is reporting scattered outages in Plymouth and Whitemarsh [5:15 p.m. Monday]

[P]- A falling tree branch punched through the window of a vehicle near Belvoir and North Gravers Road. An ambulance was dispatched as a precautionary measure for the driver, but police do not believe there are significant injuries. [5:15 p.m.]

Municipal, School, and Evacuation Information

• Colonial School District, St. Philip Neri, Germantown Academy closed Monday. GA and Colonial closed Tuesday.
• [P]- Plymouth Township administrative offices and Greater Plymouth Community Center closed Monday and Tuesday.
• [P] No Plymouth trash or recycling collections Monday or Tuesday. Public Works crew preparing to clear leaves and debris from storm sewer inlets and remove fallen trees, should they come down in the roadway.
• [C]- Residents of apartment buildings along waterfront are reminded to pack an overnight bag when heading to work, in event buildings are cutoff by flood waters by evening, as has happened in the past. Those inside should be ready to evacuate on short notice.
• [W]- No Whitemarsh trash collection Monday or Tuesday, township building closed Monday. 
• [W]- Lincoln, Spring Mill, and Barren Hill Fire Co's have offered to provide temporary shelther to any Whitemarsh residents. However, for overnight accomodations residents should head to one of the county shelters listed below or stay in a hotel.
  
• Ameican Red Cross Shelters: Pottstown High School, 750 North Washington St., Pottstown, 19464 (full time veterinarian on site), Cheltenham High School, 500 Rices Mill Road, Wyncote 19095 (full time veterinarian on-site), Norristown High School, 1900 Eagle Dr., Norristown 19403

"Old News:"

[10:09 p.m.] Latest reports: Wires and tree down on vehicle at Barberry Drive and Pheasant Lane in Whitemarsh. Road obstruction at Pilgrim and Penn Roads in Whitemarsh. Unnown type fire at 5th Ave and Maple Street in Conshy. Road obstruction at Plymouth and butler in Plymouth Twp. Power out in Plymouth Meeting close to Flourtown and Butler. Check county dispatch for up-to-the-minute incident reports.

[8:56 p.m.]: As Hurricane (now post-tropical storm, according to media accounts) Sandy moves inland, the local area is beginning to see the affects of the storm. The following roads in Whitemarsh have been closed, with no estimated time for reopening:

• Thomas b/w Kottler & Presidential
• Manor b/w Ridge & Dawnwood
• Barren Hill b/w Scarlet Oak & Harts
• Harts b/w Hart Ridge & Barren Hill.

In addition, Montgomery County reported that the Wissahickon Creek is approaching minor flood stage, and that gates in the Whitemarsh area may need to be closed in the low-lying areas of Stenton Avenue to Cricket and West Valley Green Roads. Closures could come by 9 p.m., the report said.

The Montgomery County active incident webpage has become busy with what appear to be downed trees and wires, and several such incidents have been reported in the area.

Plymouth Police say that a tree fell onto a home near Cherry Lane and Chelsea Road, but did not cause a fire as county dispatch reports indicated. Several other trees and transformers have been knocked out, police said.

Whitemarsh police say a tree downed an electrical wire on Barren Hill Road in Whitemarsh near the Conshohocken border, but did not cause a building fire, as original reports suggested. Emergency personnel remain on the scene until PECO arrives. MoreThanTheCurve.com reported a downed tree at 11th and Jones Streets in Conshohocken, but said that it did not appear to cause any injuries or damages. It does appear to be blocking the roadway.

PECO has upgraded the number of Montgomery County customers without power to between 20,000 and 50,000. Increased power outages have also occured in the immediate area, as PECO is reporting there are as many as 1,500 customers without power in both Plymouth and Whitemarsh. Conshohocken has no outages, according to PECO, although several readers said their lights have flickered.

Sandy has been downgraded to a post-tropical storm, although it is still expected to be a severe storm, ABC reported.