PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia officials say clean-up operations in parts of the city hit hardest by the remnants of Hurricane Ida could last for months.
PennDOT said crews are working around the clock to pump water off of the Vine Street Expressway and back into the Schuylkill River, with eight pumps running. PennDOT spokesman Brad Rudolph said the expressway is expected to be clear of water by tomorrow, and crews will also be clearing and leaning the expressway area "around the clock."
They expect to know more on Saturday about when drivers can expect the Vine Street Expressway to re-open.
Mayor Jim Kenney says the story is similar throughout the city.
"The water's receding, and we're beginning to reopen passable roadways. That’s good news, but we're still very early in the process of recovery," he said.
Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said the Schuylkill River hit 16.5 feet at its peak Thursday. That is just shy of the record set in 1869, but it is enough to cause serious damage, including to residential buildings that remain evacuated while structural repairs are made.
"We expect issues like that will continue as long as we have large volumes of water in certain locations around the city," Thiel said.
Officials say Manayunk and Center City were hit hardest, while floodprone Eastwick, almost miraculously, escaped harm.
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City officials toured the damage on Friday with members of Congress, including life-long resident U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle.
"This is some of the worst damage that I’ve ever seen. The Vine Street Expressway is now the Vine Street River," Boyle said.
Kenney said there were some bright spots — primarily that there were no deaths within the city.
"I believe that’s a testament to the heroic work of our first responders," he said.
The Fire Department made hundreds of rescues, but Thiel said the focus now is on recovery.
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In Manayunk, the receding water left behind an enormous mess. On Friday, sidewalks were caked with mud and sludge. Traffic lights were down, with wires and electrical parts exposed.
Parts of an oven and trash cans were scattered in front of a pizza restaurant near Shurs Lane and Main Street, which was under about 10 feet of water the day before. Many businesses still had water in their basements and first floors. And the windows of many businesses were blown out by debris that smashed through them with the rushing water.
Behind the Manayunk Brewing Company, there are two high-water lines -- one for Irene in 2011, one for Floyd in 1999. Overnight, the bar posted on Facebook that this flood surpassed both of those.
A few business owners say they deal with water and floods sometimes in Manayunk, but never anything to this extent. A lot of them say they hope the government steps in to give them some relief, because getting these small family-owned businesses back up and running is not going to be easy.
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Damage estimates in the city are still incomplete. City officials urge residents to report any and all storm-related issues to the city, to help get state and federal help with recovery.
"You’re probably not going to get an instant response, and we’ll be sending it on to our state and federal partners," Thiel said, but he stressed the importance of making those reports.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey promised to help with recovery, but said a longer-term response is necessary, one that addresses climate change.
"I don’t think anyone should have any doubts, in the aftermath of this storm, about the gravity of the threat we face," he said.
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NBC10's Randy Gyllenhaal contributed to this report.