Gillott Field in Bellevue was one of two areas used to dump snow removed from the borough’s streets. Other municipalities used the same strategy, hauling snow by the truckload to clear streets and parking lots. Photo by Connie Rankin for The Citizen

The North Boroughs found that the biggest problem with back-to-back blizzards isn't the storms themselves, but the nearly two feet of snow they leave behind.

Which is not to say that last weekend's record-setting blizzard and the mid-week frosting on the snow cake didn't present their own challenges.

First responders and street crews worked around the clock on Friday night and into Saturday, as the heavy snow began taking down utility lines and trees. Calls came in quick succession, sending local fire companies to numerous locations for downed wires and transformers on fire or sparking.

Electrical power was lost sporadically in most of the North Boroughs, except in Emsworth, where the western half of the borough was without power until Monday afternoon. Warming centers were set up at Northgate High School and at the Ohio Township Fire Hall for residents without power and heat. Ohio Township Police transported any residents in their coverage area who wanted the warmth but who did not want to test their driving skills on the snowy roads.

More than 60 children -- including the Haitian orphans -- had to be moved from Holy Family Institute Saturday because there was no heat or power at the Emsworth campus. The children were moved by bus and police car to the convent on Bellevue Road in Ross Township.

Police and firefighters also had to contend with trees that fell across roadways. On Friday night, Camp Horne Road, North Balph Avenue in Bellevue, and Toms Run Road in Kilbuck had to be closed for a time because of fallen trees.

Most motorists stayed home that night, although the area had its share of abandoned vehicles and a handful of stranded drivers. No major traffic accidents were reported.

By noon on Saturday, efforts turned to digging out of the 20 or so inches of snow that fell in the North Boroughs. Residents trying to clear sidewalks and vehicles quickly found there were few places to dump the snow. That problem -- magnified 100-fold -- was faced by municipal officials as well.

Street crews focused on clearing away as much snow as possible in anticipation of the storm expected to hit on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Gov. Ed Rendell declared a state of emergency on Saturday, which allowed municipalities to bring in private contractors without going through the normal bidding procedure. Many local municipalities took advantage of the opportunity.

Bellevue's five manned trucks concentrated on plowing, and a contractor was hired to start hauling away piles of snow, according to public works supervisor Tony Barbarino. Huge mountains of snow began growing at Gillott Field and Memorial Park as truckloads of snow were removed.

Avalon borough manager Harry Dilmore said that because it takes several hours to convert trucks from spreading salt to hauling snow, contractors also were brought in there to help with snow removal, and equipment was rented to help with the effort in Kilbuck Township, where Dilmore serves as township secretary.

An additional worker was brought in to work in Emsworth, where council member Paul Getz said every intersection along Center Avenue featured large piles of snow because plows on the upper side of the borough had nowhere to stop along the way. By Thursday, the borough had brought in three contractors who will concentrate on removing snow from the streets.

Although the storm had calmed by Saturday afternoon, volunteer firefighters in every municipality worked on to clear fire hydrants in case of an emergency. Ben Avon Fire Chief Gary Buckman asked that residents keep an eye on the hydrants and help keep them open.