Major storm brings heavy rain, wind and flooding to Philadelphia region
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A major rainstorm is moving through the Philadelphia region on Tuesday and bringing high winds, heavy downpours, thunderstorms and the potential for flooding and power outages.
The most severe parts of the storm are expected to be from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
RELATED: Schuylkill River, Neshaminy Creek flood risk: NJ, Pa. bodies of water near flood stage after storm
Crews and residents across the Delaware Valley have been preparing for the storm all week.
NJ bracing for possible flooding, beach erosion
A state of emergency is now in effect in New Jersey. The Shore is bracing for possible flooding and beach erosion, but that's not the main concern there.
Emergency officials will be paying close attention to the heavy wind on Tuesday night.
Brigantine and Atlantic City beaches have been taking a beating from several storms over the past few weeks and emergency officials say this storm will likely only add to that.
"We're anticipating winds to be our major hazard out of this particular event," Chief Scott Evans said.
Heavy wind later is the main concern down the shore. Gusts on Wednesday afternoon were already giving some signs a workout on the Atlantic City boardwalk.
"The biggest warning we're giving our residents right now is to secure any objects they might have outside in their yards to prevent them from coming projectiles causing damage," Evans said.
Rain really coming down hard right now in Ocean City, NJ. - seeing lots of flooded roads too. pic.twitter.com/CLSpt0ZiJk
— Alicia Roberts | CBS Philly Reporter (@ARobertsCBS) January 9, 2024
Those who did venture out said they were quickly heading home, not eager to tempt Mother Nature's might for much longer.
"Oh, it's crazy. The drive home was nuts, everyone was going 45-50 on the way home on the expressway. The wind -- once you get on the island it's unreal," Mark Kolmer said.
"The flooding in the streets has gotten kind of bad in some spots," Ed Ballard said. "The wind pushing you around a little bit, the rain is steady, but it's not too bad. But it's the wind that's giving you the problems."
"You can't control the weather, the weather controls you," Philmoena Arena said.
Arena has been living in nearby Brigantine for more than seven decades. She's 106 years old and stopped in the Pirate's Den for lunch Tuesday afternoon before the wind and rain picked up.
"We just tie down the furniture, cover things and it works," Mark Weichman said.
Weichman says winter storms have become second nature down the Shore, but the north end of Brigantine's beach experienced severe erosion last year and needed emergency replenishment.
Beach erosion is another concern with this storm, as well as minor flooding...and possible power outages.
"The ground is saturated from the rain and from some of the flooding that we've seen in the past storms, so trees coming down bringing power lines along with them," Vince Jones said.
The state of emergency now in effect in New Jersey does not include a travel ban, but drivers are being urged to be extra careful on the roads Tuesday night.
Emergency management in Atlantic County is also urging residents to not drive through flood waters.
Montco officials urge safety for drivers and first responders on flooded roads
Emergency officials in Montgomery County said they have extra staff ready to save lives in case of flooding, while they hope drivers could help save the lives of first responders by avoiding flooded roads in Tuesday's storm.
"Both last week and the week before that, both storms we had flooding," Mike Risell, the Chief of Upper Providence Township Fire and Emergency Services, said.
The department shared pictures of roads covered by the flooded Schuylkill River and Perkiomen Creek. Risell said he needs drivers to stop trying to drive through water-covered streets.
"Unfortunately, most of our water rescues that we do involve motorists that have driven into the water, many of them go around the barricades that are even up," Risell said.
In Fort Washington, the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety spent Tuesday morning preparing several rescue boats. Deputy Director of Public Affairs Todd Stieritz also urged drivers to turn around and not drown.
"There's no real way for you to tell from sitting there in your car exactly how deep it is or exactly how fast that water is moving," Stieritz said.
He said this can save drivers and rescuers.
"By saying, 'Hey, I'm not going to go into that, regardless of if it looks deep or not,' you're saving that first responder that potentially needed to go out and get you if you got stuck," he added.
Still, Stieritz was worried about the timing of Tuesday's storm.
"It also means that more people are on the roads, because of rush hour," Stieritz said.
Chief Risell urged any drivers who find roads covered with water to turn around, even if those motorists tested those waters before.
"And if you think that just because you were able to drive through it that one time, the next time is not going to be your lucky day," Risell said.
Officials also urged residents to sign up for mobile alerts through local municipalities. Drivers can then know what roads shut down and when officials close those streets.
Philadelphians stock up on essentials ahead of rainy, windy weather
At Stanley's Hardware in Roxborough, the rain outside has cleared the shelves inside.
The store's manager, Alex Jaconski, said people have been coming to stock up on essentials. Things like flood barriers are nearly sold out.
It's not just flooding driving homeowners to the store. The thought of power outages is, too. Batteries and flashlights have been big sellers.
"It's definitely been moving today," Jaconski said.
READ MORE: Pennsylvania, New Jersey weather forecast: Pouring rain, 40-60 mph winds in Tuesday's storm
During a press conference earlier Tuesday, Philadelphia police shared plans for helping residents deal with the storm, especially in those low-lying areas that are historically prone to flooding, while also offering some advice to drivers.
"Over the next 24 hours we'll be working with our city and state partners to ensure that we have additional officers with their eyes on those hotspots. We want to be ready to assist in closing down an area should we receive a call or, again with our own eyes, seeing it and realizing that it's unsafe for vehicles or pedestrians, we want to be able to close those areas down quickly," Philadelphia Inspector Jack Fleming said.
It only takes a six inches of moving water to knock down an adult, Fleming said, and as little as 12 inches of rushing water can carry a car away. Two feet of water can carry an SUV away, he added.
For PECO, preparations began long before the rain started to fall and the wind picked up.
The utility company has monitored the storm over the last few days, PECO spokesperson Greg Smore said.
"Right now, we've stood up our emergency response organization," Smore said. "What that means is we have all our available field resources and enhanced staffing, back office, to help restore service to our customers."
It's a full call out at PECO with extra crews making their way to the keystone state to help.
"We have about 200 additional contract crews that'll be coming in from places as far away as Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina to help support our restoration efforts," Smore said.
As the storm moves through the area, PECO reminds everyone to please treat any downed wires as active.
Safety is key both for crews and customers.
"During restoration, if there's sustained wind gusts above 30 mph, that makes it harder and for the safety of our crews, they can't be operating a bucket truck," Smore said.
Delaware County faces storm, flood risks
Officials in Delaware County are concerned about the threat of flash flooding on roads that don't usually flood, particularly low-lying areas in Marcus Hook, Chester, Darby and Chadds Ford.
The concern revolves around the Delaware River's tidal conditions, particularly impacting areas along waterways. With rising tides and no outlet for the water, there's a high probability of serious flooding, especially during the 11 p.m. high tide.
Buffe Savant said it took nine months to rebuild her house on Creek Road in Chadds Ford after her entire first floor flooded during Hurricane Ida.
"We lost everything," Savant said. "Lost the wedding videos, lost the kids' videos."
She says she was trapped on the second floor of her house for a day and a half just waiting for the water to recede.
"It was really, really scary," Savant said.
That's why she's taking this storm seriously. She stocked up on groceries and emergency supplies.
"We have our water out. We have our batteries out. We have our generator. We have gas for that," she said.
Tim Boyce, director of Delaware County Emergency Services, said dispatchers are prepared to handle an influx of 911 calls during the storm.
"We're expecting flooding all along the 95 areas, as low-lying communities just are going to be inundated with the water," Boyce said.
Boats are on standby in case of swift water rescues, he said.
"We can't stress enough that water is incredibly dangerous. If you don't need to be out, don't be out," Boyce said.
Boyce encourages people to report storm damage to their local municipality so the county can apply for state and federal reimbursement.
As for Savant, she's planning to move her cars to higher ground if the water gets too close to her home.
"I usually look at what happens up north of us because that's where things start flowing from the Brandywine," she said. "So they get hit hard, I feel like we get it the next day. So I'm not really worried about today so much as tomorrow."
Some high-risk areas have already declared municipal emergencies to make sure they have enough team members on board to respond.
One piece of advice from emergency services: If you live in a flood-prone area, remove valuable things from your basement to higher levels of your home before going to bed.
The worst that could happen is you wake up in the morning to a flooded lower level.
Power companies say they're ready
Power companies say more heavy rain and high winds paired with an already saturated ground could lead to trees, poles and power lines falling down.
In Central and South Jersey, PSE&G says it prepared for days ahead of the storm.
The power and natural gas company has "hundreds" of line workers and tree crews on standby.
If needed, a spokesperson said, contractors will be called in to help.
"This one is unique because it has the combined strong winds and the extensive flooding," spokesperson Rebecca Mazzarella said. In some cases, high winds and flooding could prevent crews from getting to certain areas.
Businesses in Manayunk prepare for potential flooding.
Main Street in Manayunk is known for its restaurants and bars, but it's also known for flooding because of how close it is to the Schuylkill River.
Greg Gillin, the owner of Greg's Kitchen, remembers the damage brought by Hurricane Ida after the Schuylkill River overflowed and caused widespread damage to businesses like his on Main Street.
"After Hurricane Ida, we got seven feet of water in the basement and it knocked out the electrical," Gillin said. "PECO came and took the meters and they had to redo all the electrical, so we were closed for about 10 months."