Whitehall Township has put in place a new snow event action chart that Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr. said takes a page from Homeland Security.

The township has established snow routes throughout its boundaries, particularly on heavily traveled roads, so the public works department can plow.

At a recent Whitehall Township Commissioners meeting, Hozza replied to Joni Tedesco, of Fullerton, who complained about the township not declaring a snow emergency. She said there is an ordinance on the books regarding the issue which should be enforced.

"If there is an ordinance, why is it not enforced ?" she asked. "I'd like to know why the township doesn't announce it."

Hozza and township Police Chief Linda Kulp said the township, going back years, has not declared a snow emergency.

Hozza said he confers with the public works department, police, fire and emergency management on such an issue when snow falls.

The problem in declaring a snow emergency is to determine where people can move their cars to, since they must be moved.

"I was truly upset," she said, referring to a call she made to the police about the situation. "No one showed up at my residence."

She also questioned why snow emergency signs are posted.

Hozza said he recalled the last time a snow emergency was declared by the township, it was during a blizzard.

Hozza explained his new scheme for addressing snow conditions in the township.

"Yesterday [Jan. 22], I declared an orange snow event from noon Jan. 22, 2014, to 6 a.m. Jan. 23, 2014," he said.

An orange snow event occurs when the temperature is 15 degrees and there is three to 11 inches of accumulation.

"We kindly ask all residents to move their vehicles from the street to enable plows to plow curb to curb.

An example of a yellow snow event occurred Nov. 15 when the temperature was 32 degrees, and flurries in the air predicted a dusting.

The red snow event is when blizzard conditions prevail, and a foot to three feet of snow is expected to fall .