City residents urged to report damage from severe storm

City residents affected by last week’s severe storm and flooding are encouraged to report damage to the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to see what resources are needed and what assistance may be available. Reports must be made by noon on Friday, July 23.

Heavy rainfall on July 12 produced between 5.1 and 6.4 inches within three hours in some neighborhoods in the Far Northeast, according to preliminary information from the Philadelphia Water Department. Given that intensity and volume—roughly double the average amount of rain for all of July—the event is in the range of what would be considered a 1,000-year storm. This means a storm of that intensity has a 0.1 percent chance of occurring in any given year, based on historical records.

“We feel the frustration and pain of all the impacted residents. This was a storm with little historical precedent and a natural disaster that caused flash flooding in a concentrated section of our city,” said Mayor Jim Kenney in a statement. “We are doing everything we can to ensure people have access to all resources available to recover from this event.”

The American Red Cross continues its response to last week’s storm, assisting residents in both Philadelphia and Bucks County. If you need Red Cross assistance because of the storm, call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Any information on assistance and resources will be released through OEM’s social media channels as well as free text alerts. Residents and businesses can sign up for alerts by texting STORMPHL to 888-777.