Being Prepared for Flooding in Philadelphia

July 8, 2015

On Tuesday, July 7th 2015 the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) held an open house at South Philadelphia High School for residents of Philadelphia that reside in flood prone areas. The purpose of this open house was because FEMA recently updated the flood maps, and wanted residents to discuss with federal and city officials about how they would be affected.

FEMA came prepared with plenty of reference materials, laptops which could help residents locate their property and see how they were a part of the new flood map, and representatives to help residents obtain flood insurance.

Supporting agencies that came to assist with the open house were the Philadelphia Water Department (PDW) and the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management (OEM). OEM played a supporting role by assisting residents and giving residents tips and advice on how to prepare in case an emergency should happen. OEM and the PWD handed out flyers, brochures and sheets of information on how residents can prepare themselves.

One tip that OEM really wanted residents to take home was to sign up for emergency alerts through their new notification system, ReadyPhiladelphia. Many residents stated they were already signed up for ReadyNotifyPA, but were unaware that the OEM switched to a new notification system and was now called ReadyPhiladelphia. Residents need to sign up for the new system to continue receiving alerts. If they don’t sign up, they will not receive any alerts after July 31st which may put them at risk. You can sign up for alerts at www.phila.gov/ready

The Philadelphia OEM has many tips for residents to take when it comes to flooding. You can find them all at the OEM’s website here: https://alpha.phila.gov/natural-hazards/flood/ but here’s a taste of what the website offers:

If flooding is forecast:

  • Turn off all utilities at the main power switch. Close the main gas valve if it looks like you might have to evacuate.
  • Fill bathtubs, sinks, and jugs with clean water in case you can’t use tap water. You can clean these containers by rinsing them with bleach.
  • Board up windows or protect them with storm shutters or tape to prevent flying glass.
  • Bring outdoor lawn furniture, garbage cans, and other loose items inside the house or secure them outside.

Many residents were happy to see the Philadelphia OEM at the open house and requested to take home preparedness materials to distribute amongst their block. If you would like to distribute preparedness materials amongst your block, church or other community center, or you would like to set up a free Family and Personal Preparedness workshop, please e-mail OEM@phila.gov

If you would like to look up FEMA’s flood map information, go to FEMAs website here http://msc.fema.gov/