How Wesleyville Used Savvy Citizen to Keep Residents Safe During a Historic Snowfall

Government

Introduction

Wesleyville is a quaint borough with beautiful neighborhoods located in Erie County, Pennsylvania. As a City of Erie suburb, it is located less than two miles south of Lake Erie.

Wesleyville, like other municipalities in Erie County, has the resources and experience to handle snow. The Borough averages roughly 107 inches of snow a year as compared to the state of Pennsylvania which averages only 40 inches annually. Recently, Wesleyville endured a snowfall that tested its resolve.

The storm began late on November 28th and 24 hours later, more than 2.5 feet of snow had fallen. Wesleyville fought the storm to keep roads opened and residents safe. They also utilized Savvy Citizen to keep residents informed with the latest weather-related safety information.

“I was in constant contact with our public works crew and was able to send notices via Savvy Citizen to residents directly from my phone.”
— Marcus Jacobs, Manager, Borough of Wesleyville

The Challenge

  • Severe Weather Response – Managing resources and ensuring public safety during heavy snowfalls like this storm in late November.

  • Maintaining Remote Communication During Emergencies – When Wesleyville’s recent snowstorm hit, the borough manager, Marcus Jacobs, was out of town for Thanksgiving. Despite being away, he needed to maintain seamless communication with residents and coordinate with the public works team.

  • Unable to Rely on Social Media – Wesleyville’s reliance on Facebook is hindered by algorithmic throttling and removal of posts with external links, limiting the reach of critical updates to residents.

What Did MSA Do

Marcus Jacobs, Wesleyville’s manager, was out of town for Thanksgiving when the storm began.

“I was in constant contact with our public works crew and was able to send notices via Savvy Citizen to residents directly from my phone.”

On day three of the storm, a state of emergency was declared.
“Being able to push information regarding the state of emergency to residents was extremely helpful,” said Jacobs.

“I kept residents informed of important updates in real-time.”
Throughout the five-day event, Wesleyville shared multiple updates on road conditions, delayed or canceled services, information on where/how residents could seek help as well safety information from FEMA. Savvy Citizen is the Borough’s preferred resident communication channel over other methods, like social media.

“Facebook’s algorithms throttle the notifications residents are served and removes notifications that contain external links”, says Jacobs.

“With important information like this, we just can’t trust Facebook”.

Wesleyville also utilizes Savvy Citizen’s automated National Weather Service alerts so residents automatically receive the latest forecast information directly from the NWS.

The Results

By the end of the 5th day, roughly 60 inches of snow had fallen with additional accumulation predicted in the forecast.

“Savvy Citizen is very easy to use and a great communication tool. It provides us with real peace of mind when it comes to getting information out to residents,” said Jacobs.

Once the snow stopped falling, Jacobs utilized Savvy Citizen to thank Wesleyville’s public works crew for their dedication and hard work during the snow event.

“That message was well deserved and really well received,” said Jacobs.

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