Philly wants to hear from homeowners and businesses with Ida damage

The city of Philadelphia issued a plea Sunday for businesses and homeowners to report damage from the remnants of Hurricane Ida as soon as possible and provided a number of cleanup updates and resources for help.

The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has closed its two reception centers that were opened for people impacted by storm damage and flooding. Anyone still in need of shelter should call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767).

OEM and the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections began Sunday to document damage caused by Ida in Manayunk, East Falls, and Center City. The process is expected to take several days and will be executed in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

To help the city assess the extent of damage, it urges all residents and business owners to take pictures of any storm-related damage before any repairs are made, and to answer a short survey at phila.gov/oem/storm.

Damage can also be reported by calling 311 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. Interpretation services for non-English-speaking business and homeowners is available.

Homeowners needing help cleaning up storm damage can sign up for Crisis Cleanup, a national, volunteer-based program. Based on availability, volunteers will help with tree and debris removal, mold remediation, tarping, rebuilding, and mucking. To sign up, call the national toll-free number: 844-965-1386.

Flooding resources for businesses and homeowners can be found on the city’s Flood Management Program page.

The Philadelphia Department of Commerce wants to hear from any business impacted by the flooding at business@phila.gov.

To help plan for the future, the Philadelphia Water Department wants any customer whose property experienced flooding to complete the city’s Flood Report Survey or call the department at 215-685-6300.

While storm damage assessment and cleanup continue, the city and state are urging “extreme caution” for any recreational activity on or along the Schuylkill, including boating, running, biking and rollerblading.

There will be no trash and recycling collections on Monday in observance of Labor Day. Collections will be one day behind schedule for the rest of the week. Further delays should be expected in areas where roads are affected by flooding.

To receive updates about recovery resources, text STORMPHL to 888-777.

Sign up for emergency alerts and weather updates from ReadyPhiladelphia at www.phila.gov/ready.

For official updates from the city, follow @PhilaOEM on Twitter or Facebook.