Crews work to dig out Philadelphia streets as some residents grow frustrated

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- City crews are urging Philadelphia residents to remain patient as workers continue clearing snow-clogged streets two days after a major storm left many neighborhoods still difficult to navigate.

Officials say 200 vehicles and 14 teams are now deployed across the city to tackle snow removal.

But with deep accumulations and tight residential blocks, progress has been slow.

"This is gonna take us days to do this, and what we're asking is people just to be patient with us," Streets Commissioner Kristin Del Rossi said.

For some neighbors, patience is wearing thin. Chris Mohammad of South Philadelphia said plows only made matters worse on his block.

"They came with the plow, they took all the snow, put it over there, put it in front of the entrance of my neighbor's house, and they put it here. So now we gotta remove it," he said.

Residents teamed up to clear snow themselves, but said they are running out of places to put it.

"The problem is, theres no where to plow the snow, where you going to put it?" Mohammad said.

City workers have begun using heavy machinery to scoop, load and haul snow out of dense areas, though the process is time-consuming.

"The side blocks are deceivingly bad," said Kwoz Ajarko of South Philadelphia, who learned firsthand that many side streets remain treacherous without four-wheel drive.

He became stuck for about 20 minutes before being pushed out by Action News crews.

"Lucky you guys came by, and we made it happen, man, we had to make it happen, Philadelphia helping Philadelphia," Ajarko said. "After this, I'm going to go ahead and pack it up for the day."

Crews are expected to continue working through the week as residents hope for easier travel conditions ahead.