The Department of Public Welfare has begun issuing food replacement benefits to recipients in 11 counties most affected by Hurricane Sandy.  Benefits were provided under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the new name for the food stamp program. “The recent hurricane wreaked havoc on many Pennsylvania communities,” Secretary Gary D. Alexander said. “Because of the large number of power outages resulting in widespread loss of food, the department requested support from the federal government to help current SNAP recipients replenish products that spoiled due to the storm.” …

The Falls Township Code Enforcement Department has released a form to help homeowners dealing with damage caused by Sandy. The form asks residents to mark where the damage to their house occurred. It also asks for a written description of the damage. The application form was approved by the Board of Supervisors and must be submitted to Code Enforcement. Click here to access a printable copy of the form.

  It's been said it's far better to have a neighbor who's near, than a brother who's far away, but in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Americans across the nation have proven to be the best neighbors and the strongest of families.   This past weekend, AOL and Patch employees took an opportunity to pitch in, packing two tractor trailers worth of food, water and supplies in Dulles, VA, and Baltimore. The donations are headed to Hurricane Sandy ravaged areas in New Jersey and Long Island. Want to join the relief efforts? Click here to donate: https://donate.networkforgood.org/aol "When a catastrophe…

With power back to most, life resumed a sense of normalcy Monday in Levittown. Stores were opened and the hum of generators could not be heard at traffic signals throughout the area. Schools in the area were open for students - many for the first time since Friday, Sept. 26. Power crews and tree service workers remained busy in the neighborhoods that dot Lower Bucks County.   Town Number of customers without power Bristol Borough Scattered outages Bristol Township 51-500 Falls Township 51-500 Langhorne Borough Scattered outages Langhorne Manor Borough Scattered outages Middletown Township 51-…

  Hurricane Sandy knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people on the East Coast, including here in Bucks County. PECO worked to restore power to their customers in Levittown for a week, and the Monday morning quarterbacking has begun. Tell us what you think of the job the companies have done so far. Vote in the poll and then share your thoughts in the comments.

THE LATEST Normalcy Resumes; Power Restored to Most  Poll: How Do You Rate Utilities' Storm Response?  PECO: Power Restored to Majority of Levittown Levittown Schools to Reopen on Monday [Updated]   MORE HURRICANE SANDY COVERAGE Middletown Releases Yard Waste Collection Information in Wake of Sandy Social Security Office Ransacked During Power Outage Outages Remain Across Levittown; Temperatures Begin to Fall Generators, Fuel Stolen by Thieves During Outage NJ, NY Residents Come to Lower Bucks for Gas Power Slowly Restored to Sections of Levittown Supermarkets Restock Meat and Milk After …

Bristol Borough School District The borough's schools reopened Friday after several days without school due to teh effects of Hurricane Sandy. Bristol Township School District The township district will reopen for all students starting Monday. Below is a statement from Superintendent Sam Lee and School Board President Earl Bruck: "Hurricane Sandy was an unexpected catastrophe for all of us in Bristol Township.  Just as your homes lost power and suffered damage from wind, water and fallen trees, so our schools were in need of help and repair in the aftermath of the storm. "When the rain and …

After a night of blustery temperatures, power crews have restored electric service to thousands more local residents. Only scattered outages remain the Bristol, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Penndel and Tullytown boroughs, according to PECO data. In Middletown and Falls, the utility company reports that less than 1,500 customers remain without service. Bristol Township still has several thousands customers in the dark as of Sunday morning, PECO said. A caravan of utility trucks were seen heading through Langhorne toward the lower portion of the area Sunday morning, Levittown resident Melissa …

From Middletown Township: Trash, recycling, and yard waste collections will be starting one hour early the week of November 5, 2012.  Make sure everything is at the curb by 5:00 a.m. Once Waste Management has collected the trash and recycling on Monday and Tuesday, they will start to send trucks around to pick up the yard waste. On Wednesday, November 7, only yard waste will be picked up. If all of the yard waste is not picked up on Wednesday, leave it at the curb. Waste Management will continue to collect yard waste on Thursday and Friday once the trash routes have been completed. Residents …

Power crews from around the nation worked to restore power service to Levittown residents Saturday afternoon as temperatures began to nosedive. The storm ravaged Thornridge section of Falls Township had most of its power restored late Friday evening, according to residents. Other portions of the township, including Elderberry, remain without PECO service. An unknown incident that lit up the night sky on Friday and knocked power out to parts of the Red Cedar section. By Saturday afternoon, most of that section's power was returned. In Middletown, parts of the Quincy Hollow neighborhood were …

Gas stations in Levittown are packed with cars - not all of them with Pennsylvania tags. Cars baring New Jersey and New York license plates could be spotted at the area gas stations that had power Friday afternoon. At the Wawa gas station on Oxford Valley Road in Middletown, Augie Michaels said he traveled from his Somerset County, N.J. hometown to get 16 gallons of gas to power his DuroStar generator for the next several days. “It’s hard to find gas in New Jersey,” he said. “If there isn’t a line that’s a mile long, it’s in a bad neighborhood. Either way, most are out of the stuff.” Michaels…

After days without electricity, service began to return to sections of Levittown and the surrounding area Thursday evening and Friday morning. Parts of the Vermillion Hills section in Falls and the Red Cedar neighborhood in Bristol Township regained power Thursday after dusk. For instant updates, follow Levittown Patch on Facebook and Twitter. Other parts the hard-hit area, including Crabtree, Oaktree and Thornridge, remain in the dark as of Friday morning. Bristol Township Nearly 9,000 utility customers in the township remain without power, Emergency Operations Director Kevin Dippolito said…

Area grocery stores and markets are beginning to recover from Sandy, stocking the shelves and restoring power to many locations throughout the region. At Selecto Supermarket in Bristol Borough they were able to transfer most of their meat and milk to another location in Trenton, but are now beginning to restock the shelves. “We were able to transfer a lot of the meat back on Wednesday but as a business we depend on being open every day and it’s going to cost us a lot (of money),” said Edwin Herrera. The store was open on Tuesday, though they were only letting one or two people in at a time …

After going through 14,000 MREs and tens of thousands of bottled waters, officials confirmed that more important supplies could be expected for locals starting Friday morning. MREs and water bottles will be distributed again at the James Gallagher Senior Center located on the grounds of the Bristol Township Municipal Complex at 2501 Bath Road starting at 8 a.m., a Red Cross official said. State Representative Frank Farry said similar supplies would be distributed to those without power starting at 11 a.m. at the Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company, 1741 Langhorne Yardley Road, in the Langhorne …

Last Update: Thursday, 7:38 p.m. Schools - The Bristol Borough School District will be opened for Friday. However, the second grade field trip to the zoo has been postponed to an unknown date. - Classes in Bristol Township School District are cancelled for Friday. Offices will be open at normal times. - Bucks County Technical High School in Bristol is closed on Friday. - The Neshaminy School District will be closed to students on Friday.Despite schools being closed to students and teachers, buildings will be open and administrators, clerical staff and custodians will report at their normal …

Matt Dietrich talked about the frightening incident that left both his sons hurt after a tree fell on them during Hurricane Sandy. The two teens - 15 and 19 - were outside the family's Blue Ridge Drive in Bristol Township when the tree hit them on Monday. Fire crews and EMS arrived at around 7:30 p.m. to find the 15-year-old walking with injuries. His 19-year-old brother was trapped under the tree, Levittown-Fairless Hills Rescue Squad Chief Christopher Reif said on Tuesday. Dietrich told NBC 10 his sons where saved when the large tree crushed his Jeep SUV and not the boys. “Half the weight …

Are you like thousands of area residents who have lost power? We are working on a list of local places that are looking to give you some releaf in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. If you know of one that's not listed, please add it in the comments section. Charge up you devices: Garden of Eatin in Middletown is open and offering WiFi and outlet free of charge. The resturant is also serving dinner until 9 p.m. Barnes and Noble in Middletown is open and has free WiFi throughout the store. Starbucks in the Oxford Valley Mall and the one at the Oxford Oaks Shopping Center are both open. Most …

As Levittown awoke to a crisp fall morning, power crews were out and about working on restoring service to the area. PECO spokeswoman Martha Phan said the utility hopes to have a majority of customers throughout the Philadelphia region without service restored by Friday night. Bristol Borough Starting Wednesday afternoon, large portions on the borough’s electric service came back on the grid. PECO is reporting between 1,500 and 3,000 customers out of 5,000 are remain without service. Bristol Township As of Thursday morning, about 12,000 of the township’s 22,000 electric customers had power, …

Local EMS, hospitals and emergency management agencies are working to deal with patients whose oxygen concentrators failed due to the power outages. Levittown-Fairless Hills Rescue Squad Chief Chris Reif said when the large electric powered concentrators fail, patients must use small portable oxygen tanks. The problem is that those tanks are often empty with in hours. On Wednesday - more than a day since much of the area went dark - ambulances, local hospitals and the emergency shelter in Bristol were being flooded with calls for help from concentrator users who needed help. One in four calls…

Bristol Township, state and federal officials will be providing Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) and bottled water to powerless residents of Bristol Township and surrounding communities starting Thursday, officials said. The 18,000 water bottles and 14,000 food servings will be distributed starting at 8 a.m. at the James Gallagher Senior Center located on the grounds of the Bristol Township Municipal Complex at 2501 Bath Road, according to Emergency Operations Director Kevin Dippolito said. The distribution will go until 6 p.m., depending on stock. Power Still Out, Clean Up Continues; Troops Return …