September 2, 2016
Hurricane Hermine is consuming the screens of social media and television sets across the United States as people follow the development and path of the storm up the East Coast.
Hermine coincides with the fifth anniversaries of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, which serve as a reminder of the devastating power these type of storms bring.
Tomorrow marks five years since Tropical Storm Lee’s impact on Pennsylvania began. Lee followed Hurricane Irene, a Category 2 hurricane, which made landfall August 27, 2011.
The powerful storms caused billions of dollars in damage, hundreds of thousands of people to lose power for days, destroyed infrastructure, and led to mass flooding that crippled parts of Philadelphia and the Tri-State area. (See below for the effects of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in Philadelphia)
Several days of warnings and preparation for Hurricane Irene led Philadelphia to declare its first state of emergency for since 1996. The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management activated its Emergency Operations Center and opened up shelters at city schools for residents forced to evacuate their residences due to flooding.
Hurricanes and tropical storms are not only an issue in the Gulf Coast and Florida: they do happen here. They are still a concern for Philadelphia residents and those living in the East Coast quadrant of the United States as the Atlantic hurricane season runs through November 30th.
How you can BE prepared:
- Be Informed:
- Stay in communication by signing up for ReadyPhiladelphia, the city’s mass notification system. Real time weather alerts with information direct from the National Weather Service Mount Holly are sent to as a text, email, or in an emergency situation, your home phone. The city will also use ReadyPhiladelphia to send emergency information regarding evacuations or shelter information.
- Follow @PhiladelphiaGov, @PhilaOEM, @PhillyPolice, @PhillyFireDept, @PHLPublicHealth, and @philly311 for important updates prior to, during, and after an emergency.
- Be Ready: Make a Family Emergency Plan, which includes; building a shelter-in-place kit, info on evacuation and shelters, a Go-Bag, emergency contacts form, and health information.
- Be Knowledgeable: Know the hazards and definitions associated with a tropical storm or hurricane, which include flooding and power outages, and how to mitigate them.
- Be Insured: Ask your insurance company for a check-up. Make sure you have enough homeowners or renter’s insurance for your residence. Standard homeowners insurance does not cover flooding. Whether you’re a homeowner or renter, you’ll need a separate policy for it, and it’s available through your company, agent or the National Flood Insurance Program.
Effects of Hurricane Irene in Philadelphia:
- Long term flooding, damage to buildings, and closure of roads in Manayunk and Lincoln Drive
- Collapse of seven buildings and damage to thirteen other structures within the city
- The Schuylkill and Delaware rivers cresting at 13.5 ft. and 9.77 ft. respectively, in Philadelphia
- Estimated 11,800 flights cancelled at PHL, grounding 650,000 passengers
- More than 500 trees fell in the city and twenty roads were closed
- Storm surge of 3 to 5 feet caused moderate tidal flooding along tidal sections of the Delaware River
Effects of Tropical Storm Lee in Philadelphia:
- Caused one death in Philadelphia
- Caused rockslide in the vicinity of the Conshohocken Curve, flooding near Belmont Avenue and a mudslide by Girard Avenue on the Schuylkill Expressway
- Caused widespread flash flooding, as well as flooding in Manayunk and on Kelly Drive
- Regionally, Lee destroyed 22 homes and businesses, 201 structures suffered major damage, 672 received minor damage and 1,217 were affected
What keeps you up at night? The Office of Emergency Management needs to hear Philadelphia residents’ concerns through a two minute survey as we update the City’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.