City continues response to July 11 storm, provides resources for residents during their recovery

Jump to:

• Damage survey
• Downed trees
• Disaster recovery
• Sanitation pick-up
• SNAP food replacement
• Power outages
• Flooding
• Property inspection
• Scam awareness
• Contact the City
• Receive updates

According to the National Weather Service, Philadelphia was impacted Saturday, July 11 by a series of at least four severe microburst storms that brought destructive straight-line wind gusts across parts of West and South Philadelphia.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker signed a Declaration of Disaster Emergency on Saturday evening which allows the City to accelerate and reinforce ongoing recovery efforts including expediting contracts with private vendors, such as tree contractors, to supplement City crews in the days ahead.

Recovery operations continue through the Emergency Operations Center, where City departments are coordinating with PECO, SEPTA, the American Red Cross, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), and other partners.

Damage survey

The American Red Cross is working with Office of Emergency Management staff in storm-damaged areas to see who may need assistance.

Residents whose homes or property sustained storm-related damage are encouraged to complete the City's online damage survey. As of Sunday morning, July 12, more than 100 reports were submitted, helping officials verify damage, prioritize recovery resources, document storm impacts, and evaluate potential state and federal disaster assistance should eligibility thresholds be met.

Downed trees

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation arborists and crews are actively responding to fallen trees across the city. As of Monday, July 13, Parks & Recreation received 340 tree emergency calls, having inspected 220 trees. Crews are prioritizing trees blocking roads trees on homes and cars, and hazards impacting Parks & Recreation sites and summer programs.

If you need to report a tree emergency:

• Call 911 if a tree is blocking a road or has fallen on a home, car, or other property.
• Call PECO at (800) 841-4141 if downed wires are involved. If you encounter a downed power line, stay away and assume it's energized.
• Use 311 for non-emergency tree issues.

How to report a downed tree.

Disaster recovery

If you experience property damage from a severe storm, there will be a need to present documents for insurance claims, to our office through a damage tracker, or to a government agency who may provide financial assistance. Health and safety are priorities. This includes cleaning up and food safety after a disaster or power outage. Read our documenting damage blog post for more information.

Sanitation pick-up

Sanitation teams assessed streets and driveways in the storm area to determine accessibility for trash and recycling collections.

Trash and recycling collections are on regular schedule. Crews will make every effort to access all streets and driveways on collection routes. Residents whose normal collection area is inaccessible should be reported to 311.

The Sanitation Department has crews with heavy equipment, smaller teams with mechanical brooms, and laborers assisting in the storm response by removing heavy debris, sweeping and washing streets, and collecting materials in the storm areas.

SNAP food replacement

SNAP households may be eligible for replacement SNAP benefits if their food was destroyed as a result of the extended power outage caused by a natural disaster or severe weather event. SNAP households that experienced an extended power outage or are still without power can immediately request a replacement in person or by phone with their County Assistance Office and must apply within 10 days of the incident.

Power outages

After the storm Saturday afternoon, PECO reported 26,000 outages. They continue to restore power to customers, working to replace damaged infrastructure like downed poles and power lines. If your electric power is interrupted, you can report and track the outage online with Check My Outage Status or View Outage Map.

Flooding

Flash flooding can cause quick and heavy rainfall leading to flooding and overwhelmed storm drains. Avoid flooded areas as best as possible. If you see an inlet that is clogged or not draining, call PWD at .

Property inspection

Residents concerned about structural damage can call 311 or contact the Department of Licenses and Inspections' Contractual Services Unit (CSU) directly at (7:00 a.m. -3:30 p.m. daily). Inspectors will visit homes in the affected area free of charge.

Scam awareness

Residents should remain alert for scams. The city does not charge for emergency response services or storm-related work performed on public property, including in city parks. Residents should review contracts carefully, ask for identification from anyone offering repair services, and call 911 if they believe someone is attempting to take advantage of storm victims. Suspected scams can also be submitted to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office.

Contact the City

For non-emergency questions, call during business hours. You can also visit a Neighborhood Community Action Center for assistance.

Receive updates

Residents can receive emergency information and recovery updates by texting STORMPHL to to enroll in the City's free emergency text alert system.