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“I lost stuff that I can't replace from family members who died that passed down stuff, I lost that. We just brought a lot. We just got engaged three days ago. We lost everything” said Nyeem Wingfield, who recently moved into an apartment on Chester Pike and Springfield Road in Darby with his fiance.
Because they've never lived near the area, Wingfield said had no idea the creek is notorious for flooding.
“We were just homeless last year, and this was our biggest move and the happiest time of our lives when we got in here,” he added.
With no renter's insurance, it's up to them to pick up the pieces.
“It's horrible, we didn't have time, I think that's why it's so bad now because it just came all of a sudden, so we weren't expecting it to be so bad,” said manager and co-owner Vanessa Mora.
The creek has flooded their shop before, but the damage was never as bad as this time.
“The equipment's so heavy you can't get it out, so every single item that's in there, it's done. So we're going to be down a few weeks or until the adjusters come out, but with the pandemic it's making it so much harder,” she added.
She estimates the damage is between $80,000 and $100,000.
“Clearing debris, trees from roadways, trying to get many of these highways back open. We have several closures across the five-county region and a lot of wires down where we have to wait for utility companies to intervene before we can help clear the highways,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Rudolph said the construction work on major projects along I-95 and on the westbound Schuylkill Expressway between University Avenue and 30th Street was not heavily affected by the storm damage, and crews are already returning to those job sites.