Gov.Tom Wolf has declared Pennsylvania in a state of emergency in advance of a snowstorm expected to hit the state beginning Friday.

“Declaring a state of emergency allows the commonwealth to deliver state resources wherever they’re needed as quickly as possible,” Wolf said in a statement. “We have multiple state agencies working at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to monitor weather conditions across the state and we will respond to help local governments and residents in need.”

The statement also says:

The proclamation authorizes state agencies to use all available resources and personnel, as necessary, to cope with the magnitude and severity of the situation. The time-consuming bid and contract procedures, as well as other formalities normally prescribed by law, are waived for the duration of the proclamation. The State Emergency Operations Center, located at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency headquarters outside Harrisburg, is staffed by personnel from multiple state agencies.

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In this Times Leader file photo, A PennDOT snowplow clears away snow from eastbound lanes on Interstate 80 in Butler Township.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_snowplow.jpg.optimal.jpgIn this Times Leader file photo, A PennDOT snowplow clears away snow from eastbound lanes on Interstate 80 in Butler Township. Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader

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