PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia provided the following updates regarding local impacts of Ida:
City Services: City offices will be closed to the public tomorrow, Friday, September 3 due to the continued impact of yesterday’s storm. The City will be operating essential services only. Employees who can work remotely should check with their supervisor and do so. City Health Centers will be open and operating regular hours. People can still access resources online through the City’s website, phila.gov.
“As the emergency response and rescue operation wind down, we as a city are now transitioning this to helping people and businesses recover from the impacts of this historic storm,” said Managing Director Tumar Alexander. “I urge folks to report damage through phila.gov/oem/storm, and I thank the countless workers who helped us get through this unprecedented flooding event.”
The First Judicial District of Philadelphia announced that Philadelphia courts will be closed on Friday to ensure the safety of employees and court users.
School District of Philadelphia: The School District announced that school buildings will be closed on Friday September 3. Students will engage in 100 percent digital learning.
Reception Centers: The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management has opened reception centers for people who may be impacted by storm damage, including flooding at their residence.
- The reception center at West Philadelphia High School, 4901 Chestnut Street, remains open.
- The reception center at Roxborough High School closed as of 6 p.m. Thursday September 2.
Media Availability: City officials will provide an update and take questions about the response at 11:15 a.m. outside of the Fire Administration Building, 240 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA.
Photos: Photos of flooding are available for media use. Credit A. Lee / City of Philadelphia.
Road Closures: Numerous roads will remain closed, including heavily travelled portions of I-676 and Kelly Drive.
Call Centers Open: The Philly 311 Call Center will remain open during normal business hours on Friday (8 a.m. – 8 p.m.) to take calls for non-emergencies.
SEPTA will post real-time travel updates at septa.org and @SEPTA on Twitter. Riders should expect service disruptions and delays to continue. For those who have to travel, the Market-Frankford and Broad Street Lines are the best options and provide access to essential services throughout the City.
Sanitation & Recycling Collections: Residents should continue to set materials out on their regular collection day. Trash and recycling collections will continue in areas unaffected by flooding. Residents should expect delays in areas where roads are impacted by flooding.
Information and Resources for Residents and Business Owners: Residents and businesses can find information about flooding response and resources on the City’s Flood Management Program page, including resources for areas impacted by flooding; this is available online here.
Once waters recede, business and home owners should take photos of any storm or flood damage. If it is safe to do so, take photos before any repairs are made. To help the City understand the extent of damage and to see where resources may be needed, we are asking residents and businesses impacted by the storm to answer a short survey and upload any photos they may have into OEM’s damage assessment tool.
The Philadelphia Department of Commerce is gathering information about neighborhood business areas that have been affected. If your area has a number of businesses that have been impacted by the flooding, and you haven’t been in touch with Commerce about this damage, you can contact business@phila.gov.
The Philadelphia Water Department’s customer contact center (215-685-6300) will be open. If a Water customer’s property experiences flooding, we ask that they complete the City’s Flood Report Survey to provide us with information that can help the City plan for the future.
Stay Informed:
- Text STORMPHL to 888-777 to receive text message updates about resources for recovery.
- Sign up for emergency alerts and weather updates from ReadyPhiladelphia at www.phila.gov/ready.
- For more weather tips, visit the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management online at www.phila.gov/ready.
- For official updates from the City, follow @PhilaOEM on Twitter or Facebook.
- Other City Twitter accounts to follow for information: @PhiladelphiaGov, @Philly311 and @PhilaStreets.