PHILADELPHIA — Today, City departments and agencies continue coordinating cleanup and outreach efforts to assist residents and businesses following the powerful, fast-moving storm on the evening of Monday, June 22. The storm brought intense rainfall in a short period that resulted in localized flooding and wind gusts strong enough to bring down tree limbs and branches in other parts of the city.

City agencies were already activated in the City’s Emergency Operations Center, monitoring the World Cup activity when the storm moved through the region on Monday evening, which allowed City agencies to monitor the changing weather and respond in real-time. Ahead of and during the storms, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) issued eight ReadyPhiladelphia alerts warning subscribers about severe weather conditions, including heavy rainfall, lightning, and flash flooding.

“Our City departments worked swiftly and collaboratively to respond to and assess the flooding that occurred on various roadways and in other locations throughout the city following the fast and furious storm,” said Adam K. Thiel, Managing Director, City of Philadelphia. “Today, staff continue to focus on assisting the neighborhoods and businesses that experienced damage, especially those in Northwest Philadelphia communities.”

According to the National Weather Service, parts of Northwest Philadelphia, including Germantown, East Germantown, Mount Airy, Chestnut Hill, and Roxborough, received between 1 and 2 inches of rain in as little as 15 to 30 minutes, with the heaviest rainfall occurring between approximately 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Additional showers and thunderstorms later in the evening brought total rainfall amounts to approximately 1.5 to 2.5 inches across the area.

As part of the City’s immediate response, staff from the OEM, Philadelphia Water Department (PWD), and other City departments are assessing conditions in Germantown and surrounding areas, coordinated response efforts, and identified community needs resulting from the storm.

OEM field teams reviewed multiple locations where flooding was reported, including 21st Street and Godfrey Avenue, 10th Street and Godfrey Avenue, 11th Street and Godfrey Avenue, 20th Street and Cheltenham Avenue, Wister Street and Godfrey Avenue, and Ogontz Avenue and East Washington Lane.

Residual storm debris was identified at 10th and Godfrey, 11th and Godfrey, and 21st and Godfrey, and referred to the City’s Streets and Sanitation departments for cleanup and debris removal operations. In the areas assessed by City teams, floodwaters quickly receded yesterday, and efforts focused on debris removal, damage assessment, and resident support.

According to PWD, the intensity of the rainfall temporarily exceeded local sewer system capacity in some locations, causing water to back up into streets and some basements before receding as conditions improved.

There have been 109 unique tree emergencies reported across the city since Monday according to The Department of Parks & Recreation; 99 unique tree emergencies in the Right of Way (trees blocking roads and sidewalks, and public street trees fallen onto cars and buildings); 10 unique park tree emergencies (trees fallen in the interior of PPR properties – parks, playgrounds, recreation centers) ; 65 work orders created for tree or limb removal since Monday.

“Our in-house tree crews will be focusing their efforts on clearing trees off roads, cars, and houses, and clearing trees from properties where PPR programming is scheduled to happen this week,” said Susan Slawson, Commissioner, Department of Parks & Recreation. “We are working swiftly to address all needs reported.”

“While we are grateful there were no reported major injuries or widespread utility outages, we know many residents and businesses experienced flooding, property damage, and disruptions to their daily lives,” said Dominick Mireles, Deputy Managing Director of Community Safety. “Our teams remain focused on supporting impacted communities, coordinating cleanup efforts, assessing damage, and connecting residents with available recovery resources.”

If residents and businesses need more information and assistance, the following resources are available:

  • How to Recover from a Disaster - The City’s Blog can be found here with safety, clean-up, insurance, and documentation tips.
  • Damage Reporter Survey - If any private property has received storm-related damage, we ask them to complete the secure survey (www.phila.gov/damagereporter) for the Office of Emergency Management. The information collected in this form will be used by the City of Philadelphia to determine the areas and extent of incident-related damages. This form is not an application for resources and does not guarantee assistance; it may help determine if assistance is available. The survey can also be completed by calling 3-1-1.
  • Businesses impacted by flooding can contact the Mayor’s Business Action Team by emailing Business@phila.gov or calling 215-683-2100.
  • Downed Trees - should be reported to 911 if blocking a road or on a house, reported to PECO if on electrical lines, or reported to 3-1-1 for removal. More information can be found here.
  • Blocked or Damaged Sewer Inlets - should be reported to PWD’s 24-hour emergency line at 215-685-6300.
  • 9-1-1 should be contacted whenever an immediate life-safety or emergency concern exists.
  • We encourage everyone to Stay Informed about severe weather threats and emergency resources by following @philaOEM on X and Facebook, and by signing up for ReadyPhiladelphia, the City’s free emergency notification system.
  • StormPHL Messages – The Office of Emergency Management has activated a dedicated text message platform for the City to deliver storm recovery text messages to enrollees. Those who are recovering from the storm can text “StormPHL” to 888-777 to receive updates related to recovery.
  • National Flood Insurance – All residents interested in purchasing a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy for future flood coverage can visit floodsmart.gov. Traditional homeowners’ insurance does not cover damage resulting from flooding. Philadelphia residents automatically receive a 15 percent discount on NFIP policies.

The Philadelphia Water Department also reports that a capital improvement project is currently underway to increase sewer capacity in N. 21st Street from Stenton Ave. to W. Godfrey Ave. More information about this project is available on the PWD website. Furthermore, PWD is in the early stages of feasibility planning for a large, deep tunnel that is dual-purpose: to mitigate flooding in and around Germantown and to reduce combined sewage overflows to the Tacony-Frankford Creek. The planning stage will identify project feasibility and options for tunnel size (diameter), length, and underground path. If the planning and design phases progress as scheduled, construction would likely begin in the mid-to-late 2030s.

###