Philadelphia opens disaster recovery center to help residents after Ida's destruction

Philadelphia disaster recovery center opens for city residents reeling from Ida

A month after the remnants of Hurricane Ida tore across the Delaware Valley Philadelphia residents are still working to recover from widespread flood damage. FEMA opened a disaster recovery center in Philadelphia on Wednesday to help with much needed repairs.

PHILADELPHIA - Friday marks one month since the remnants of Ida devastated parts of the Delaware Valley and the damage is still fresh. There’s more help for those in Philadelphia for those impacted by the storm.

David Hardy is still trying to pick up the pieces almost one month after Ida flooded his block, leaving the first floor of his Race Street townhouse inundated with water.

"I have lived here 31 years and nothing close," Hardy stated.

Hardy says the water was about 2 ½ feet deep, destroying his washer and dryer, hot water heater, his bathroom, his furniture and everything in the path.

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"It had risen up. It was coming through the door, coming through the garage," Hardy described.

Joe McDermott lives a couple of doors down. He figures his damages are about $10,000 to $20,000, with some items that are irreplaceable.

"I lost about 30 years worth of family photographs and my record collection from the 1960’s and 1970’s," McDermott explained.

McDermott, and others who were flooded, are still trying to get estimates, so the work can begin.

"I’m waiting for some type of contractor to repair and replace walls. The doors are, like, shot," McDermott added.

Philadelphia’s Disaster Recovery Center opened on the 7200 block of Ridge Avenue to help folks navigate the recovery process and available assistance.

"You don’t know what you are eligible for until you come find out. If you still have damage from Ida, please come check out the services available," OEM Director Adam Thiel remarked.

The Philly DRC is open six days a week. There are now six in Pennsylvania to help residents get back on their feet following Ida’s wrath. Anyone needing assistance can call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 and multilingual operators are available. Help is available in most languages.