With lake effect warnings in place until Saturday morning, Erie city and county officials are providing updates on staff and processes in place to keep people safe.

County Executive Brenton Davis held a press conference at the 9-1-1 center, addressing snow emergency response and recovery efforts. In a separate briefing, Mayor Joe Schember provided updates during his weekly news conference as Erie continues to see snowfall.

County Executive Brenton Davis called for a meeting to address road preparations. He stated, "Preparations in terms of coordinating with PennDOT, obviously continuing the snow removal and snow clearing mission. There is also the humanitarian mission. We have a team from the Sheriff's Department, Erie County Economic Development. If there is anyone out there, you can call 211, and we can get them the support they need."

Mayor Joe Schember explained the process behind calling for a state of emergency. "The snow came at a fast speed and volume, making it impossible for our city crew to keep up. So, we quickly called a snow emergency, followed by an emergency disaster declaration."

We spoke with the City of Erie Fire Chief Leonard Trott about the struggles the department has faced over the past week. Chief Trott said, "We doubled up on crews, and we were prepared to have to walk to places. We've had to walk a block to get to some places we can't get to with the fire truck."

The Director of Public Works, Jason Sayers, was a guest speaker at the mayor's news conference, where he highlighted the importance of keeping the roads clear.