Flood Warning for Philadelphia

The National Weather Service predicts that Philadelphia could receive four to six inches of rain, which could lead to flooding on the rivers.  The Schuylkill River is expected to crest at 15.2’ tomorrow in the mid to late afternoon, potentially the second most significant event in the history of the river.  The Delaware could experience some minor flooding tomorrow evening and parts of the City may experience flash flooding overnight.  

Residents should call 311 for updates or to report issues.  The 311 Call Center’s hours will be extended to help residents cope with the storm.  Tonight, September 30, 311 will operate until midnight.  On Friday, October 1, the Center will open at 8 am and remain open until midnight on Saturday. Residents should only call 911 in case of emergency.  

“During the height of storm, stay safe. Drive only if necessary.  If you must drive, avoid low lying areas and standing water,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter.  “Please take extra precaution to secure lawn furniture, trash receptacles and other loose objects outside because high winds are anticipated.  Downed trees and power lines are also expected.”

Residents and businesses in low lying areas with a history of flooding during storms should prepare immediately. Those areas include: sections of Manayunk, along Main Street; the Eastwick section in Southwest Philadelphia;  Kelly and King Drives along the Schuylkill River; Lincoln Drive along the Wissahickon Creek; and Delaware River along Columbus Boulevard, from Spring Garden Street to Washington Avenue. In addition, flooding is anticipated on local creeks and streams.  Be prepared to evacuate if needed. If an evacuation order is given, leave as quickly as possible.

If possible, Philadelphians living in affected areas should make arrangements with family or friends to stay the night.  If residents cannot do so, they can go to one of the two shelters the City will open at 8pm tonight.  They are:  
Roxborough High School located at 6498 Ridge Avenue and Bartram High School located at 2401 South 67th Street.  

If residents need assistance getting to the shelters, SEPTA will run a shuttle from the Ivy Ridge Train Station at 4996 Umbria Street at Parker to the Roxborough High School.   SEPTA will also offer a shuttle to Bartram High School from Cibotti Recreation Center, 77th St. and Elmwood Ave.  Both shuttles will begin operating at 8pm tonight.

Cots, blankets, food and beverages will be provided at the shelters but residents should bring a “Go Bag” of emergency supplies with them. Supplies should include:

Copies of important documents, such as insurance cards, photo IDs, birth certificates, deeds, and proof of address, in a waterproof and portable container
Medication
List of medication names, dosages, and a schedule when to take them.
List of doctor’s contact information.
Personal care items: hand sanitizer, toothbrush and toothpaste, and wipes
Child care supplies or other special care items

Other items that may be needed at a shelter:
Extra set of car and house keys
Credit and ATM cards
Cash, especially in small bills like ones, fives, and tens  
Flashlight and extra batteries
Battery-operated radio and extra batteries
Sturdy, comfortable shoes, lightweight rain gear
Contact and meeting place information for your household
Small regional map

If residents wish to evacuate with their pets, they can bring them to the shelters.   They should also bring appropriate pet supplies including:
Leash
Pet food and treats
Pet Identification
Pet carriers
Veterinarian Records

Philadelphians should stay informed during the storm and flooding by listening to local news for critical updates. They can also sign up for emergency text alerts from the City’s ReadyNotifyPA Emergency Public Notification at www.phila.gov/ready.

The City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will be activated at 8 pm this evening. Agencies staffing the EOC will be the Office of Emergency Management, Philadelphia Fire Department, SEPTA, Philadelphia Water Department, Department of Streets, Department of Licenses &Inspections, Philadelphia Police Department, Philadelphia Gas Works, and Fairmount Park

***TORNADO WATCH***

The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch for Philadelphia and surrounding counties until 6 p.m. today.  A Tornado Watch means that conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms with possible tornadoes.

For current weather information, please visit the National Weather Service at http://www.weather.gov/phi.
 
Tornado Safety:

• The most important thing to do is take shelter when a tornado is nearby.
• Go to your basement or the lowest point of your home. If you can, go to an interior room or hallway without any windows.  
• If you cannot find shelter, take cover in a ditch or other deep area. 
•  If you are asked to evacuate, grab your Go Bag and leave right away. 
  
• During a tornado watch, stay tuned to local radio and TV stations or a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio for further weather information. Watch the weather and be prepared to take shelter immediately if conditions worsen. 
• Never touch or go near downed power lines, even if you think they are safe.  

For more information, visit the Tornadoes page on the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management's website.

Wally Wise Guys Wise Words of the Week: September is National Preparedness Month. Prepare Your Pet For Any Emergency.

Include your pets in your household emergency plan. If you must evacuate, you should evacuate your pets, too – it’s not safe to leave them behind.

Service animals as well as pets are allowed in certain shelters. Plan for your pets’ safety now, before an emergency and put together a Pet Emergency Kit with the following items:

• A three-day supply of water, food and containers, non-spill bowls, and a can opener.
• Sturdy leashes, harnesses and carriers/cages to transport pets safely and ensure that they cannot escape.
• Information on feeding schedules, medical conditions, veterinarian’s phone number, proof of vaccination, pet license numbers, and microchip numbers.
• Medication for your pet (if needed).
• Plastic bags, paper towels, and wipes for clean-up.
• Photos of your pet.

For more information, visit the Pennsylvania State Animal Response Team website at http://sart.cas.psu and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals website at www.aspca.org.

Free Community Night at the Franklin Institute: Wednesday, September 15 from 5-8 p.m.

Wally Wise Guy's Wise Words of the Week: Prepare Your Business For Any Emergency

Develop a continuity plan for your business or organization by taking five simple steps:

• Assess the Hazards That Could Affect Your Organization: Identify the hazards most likely to affect your organization and plan for those first. Consider the potential impacts of all hazards when developing emergency plans, such as whether your facility is vulnerable to flooding, or how a power outage might affect your organization’s ability to do business or provide services.
• Plan to Stay Open: How quickly your company or organization can resume normal operations after a fire, flood, or other emergency depends on emergency planning. Start by outlining how you will preserve or restore critical functions.
• Talk to Your People: One of the best methods to ensure your organization’s recovery is to provide for your coworkers’ well-being. Communicate regularly with employees before, during, and after an incident.
• Protect your Investment: In addition to protecting your employees, it is important to safeguard your organization’s physical assets.
• Know how to Respond: Almost every business or organization is required by law to have an Emergency Action Plan (EAP). The EAP details how your business will address life safety issues in an emergency. If fire extinguishers are required or provided in your workplace, and if anyone will be evacuating during a fire or other emergency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires you to have an EAP.

National Preparedness Month 2010 Kickoff

2nd Annual Citywide Civic Engagement Expo

FEMA Administrator Fugate Swears in former Philadelphia Deputy Managing Director for Emergency Management MaryAnn Tierney as Regional Administrator

PHILADELPHIA – Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate on Monday swore in MaryAnn Tierney as Regional Administrator for FEMA Region III, which includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Tierney served previously as the Deputy Managing Director for Emergency Management for the city of Philadelphia.

"Regional Administrators are crucial to our ability to respond effectively to emergencies based on the needs of the communities we serve," said Fugate. "MaryAnn Tierney is not only an experienced emergency manager, but her background in local government and her knowledge of the region make her uniquely qualified to lead our efforts there. I look forward to working with MaryAnn as we support local officials and citizens in their efforts to keep their communities safe."

Tierney had served as the Deputy Managing Director for the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management since 2006. Prior to that, she spent seven years as the Assistant Commissioner for Planning and Preparedness for New York City, where she oversaw the revision of the city's coastal storm plan and led the city's debris removal efforts at the World Trade Center site.

Biography for MaryAnn Tierney, FEMA Regional Administrator, Region III

MaryAnn Tierney brings a depth of experience in local emergency management to her position as Regional Administration for FEMA Region III. From 2006 until 2010, Tierney served as Deputy Managing Director for Emergency Management for the city of Philadelphia. In that role, she transformed the city's operational emergency procedures, implemented new training and exercises for first responders, and strengthened the office's outreach to the private sector and community organizations.

Prior to her work in Philadelphia, Tierney spent seven years as the Assistant Commissioner for Planning and Preparedness for New York City. Her responsibilities in New York included overseeing the city's coastal storm plan, coordinating debris removal at the World Trade Center, and managing the federal reimbursement process for the city for response and recovery.

Tierney holds a Masters in Public Administration from New York University and a B.A. in political science from American University. She has also completed the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security's Executive Leaders Program.

Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/femaregion3, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

National Preparedness Month, September 2010

Wally Wise Guy's Wise Words of the Week: September is National Preparedness Month. Prepare Your Household for Any Emergency.

September is National Preparedness Month and Philadelphia's Office of Emergency Management encourages you to talk with your family about emergencies: what to do, how to find each other and how to stay in contact during an emergency.

• Be ready to Shelter-in-Place for at least 72 hours.
• Have a Go Bag and be ready to evacuate.
• Decide on two meeting places where household members should meet after an emergency - one right outside or close to your home and anther outside your neighborhood.
• Practice evacuating from your home using different exits and practice getting to your meeting places.
• Ask a friend or relative who lives outside of the 215 area code to be your family's emergency contact. If local phone circuits are busy, long distance calls may be easier to make.
• Plan for everyone in your family especially seniors, people with disabilities, and non-English speakers.
• Give everyone in your house a copy of your emergency plan and emergency contact information to keep in their wallets or backpacks.
• Twice a year - check your emergency plan and the expiration dates of your emergency supplies when you change your clocks and fire alarms batteries.