PA investigates the Valentine's Day snowstorm

Gov. Rendell expertly used the political lessons of Hurricane Katrina by swiftly taking blame for the state's handling of a serious natural disaster and commissioning an independent investigation.

But his swift response did not quell an angry outcry from legislators demanding answers to what caused last week's snow calamity that stranded thousands of motorists and closed major interstates for three days. Next week, top officials for key emergency-response departments have been summoned to appear at back-to-back legislative hearings.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate say they want to know why the state's communication and response systems apparently fell apart. They said the situation does not reflect well on the state's ability to handle future man-made or natural crises.