PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Just as the region is starting to dry out from Tuesday night’s winter storm, another one is on the horizon with more downpours and gusty winds, which could also bring the threat of more flooding and power outages.
The most intense part of this storm is expected to last from about 10 p.m. Friday until about 4 a.m. Saturday.
Although the wind may not be as strong in Philly and the suburbs as it was earlier this week, it could be enough to bring down trees that are already weak.
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“Tuesday’s storm really saturated us,” said John Feerick, AccuWeather senior meteorologist, “so this in and of itself would be a pretty significant storm, but because we had Tuesday, maybe this one isn’t quite as bad. But it’s still going to be a pretty significant storm. It’s a quick-hitting storm. It’s not going to rain quite as long as we had Tuesday but still could cause quite a bit of problems across the region.”
Feerick said to keep an eye on the water levels of local creeks, rivers and streams, as they will continue to rise on Saturday. And, high tide Saturday afternoon could lead to more flooding and runoff.
“So you’re going to get the rain Friday night, the runoff into the river. That’ll probably match up with the high tide Saturday afternoon. The combination of those two things is going to cause potentially a bigger problem than if it was just the rain,” he explained.
In Delaware County, for example, many waterways are still swollen from Tuesday’s storm.
“Our streams are still flowing very strong everywhere from the Brandywine in western Delaware County to eastern Delaware County,” said Timothy Boyce, director of emergency services for Delco. “And again, debris that is collected in a lot of these places is going to be a concern with us with localized and flash flooding.”
Crews are working to clear as much of that debris as possible ahead of Friday night’s heavy rain and whipping winds.
As for power, many people in the area are still without electricity. The numbers could grow again because of the storm.
“People make decisions in the dark, and we ask you to really think about it today in the light,” Boyce advised. “Charge your phones, charge your things, use batteries. Make sure if you have generators, they’re ventilated.”
The county is investigating two fires that happened during the last storm that may be generator-related, Boyce noted.
Drenched in Delran
Delran, New Jersey was hit particularly hard by the storm that flooded the Delaware River earlier this week, and many residents are still trying to pick up the pieces.
Floodwaters rose to several feet in some places on the aptly named River Road. Jody Klein had to evacuate her home via boat after several inches of water spilled into her first floor.
“We had to be brought out on a boat — my son in a wheelchair, my dogs, my kids. I’m in a hotel with dogs. My kids are at a friend’s house so they’re good, but I don’t have any idea what I’m gonna do if my house is uninhabitable,” she said. “I don’t have anywhere to go.”
Klein said she has no idea what comes next. She can barely give any attention to this next storm, as the trauma of what her family went through a few days ago lingers. She is still waiting for engineers to determine if her house is safe.
“My cars are both totaled. They’re getting towed on Monday. This one is a wheelchair-accessible van for my son that’s disabled,” she said. “The damage is already done at this point.”
Other residents say there’s not much you can do other than hope for the best, then clean up the mess.