If there's a snow-related travel ban, here's who can drive

Sometime today or tomorrow you might hear about a travel ban because of the snow. In 2008, the state's emergency management agency laid out, among other things, who is authorized to travel when such a ban is in effect.

If the governor closes all or most highways in an area, the emergency management agency, PennDOT and state police are told that only people carrying out "critical emergency services" be allowed on the roads. The list, taken from the August 2008 directive (full document here):

1. State, city and municipal police officers.
2. City and municipal-paid or volunteer firemen and fire police.
3. State, county and municipal emergency management personnel.
4. Emergency medical service or rescue personnel.
5. Emergency communications personnel assigned to county and city 911 centers or other emergency dispatch centers.
6. Correctional officers and other staff assigned to state, county and city correctional institutions.
7. Personnel engaged in disseminating news and weather reports via radio, television or newspaper;
8. Doctors, nurses and other medical care personnel who are traveling to a hospital, nursing home or other health car facility or are responding to an emergency call for medical assistance.
9. Electric, natural gas, telephone, water and other public utility personnel who are responsible for maintaining, repairing or operating a public utility system.
10. Heating oil and fuel oil delivery personnel who are responding to an emergency call for fuel at a home or business.
11. Food delivery and personnel involved in pickup or delivery of milk.
12. Maintenance personnel who are responsible for maintaining the 24-hour operation of generators, heating systems or other related systems at a business or industrial facility.
13. State, county, city and municipal snow clearance personnel and their support workers. Private contractors hired by any governmental unit to remove debris or plow or remove snow.
14. Other persons as authorized by (state police), city or municipal police officers on an individual case-by-case basis.

People who aren't on that list could be cited for driving during the travel ban.