Disaster
in Whitemarsh. First responders from Montgomery and Philadelphia counties conducted ground and water searches but did not locate anybody.
Officials said the Pennsylvania National Guard also deployed a Pennsylvania Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team to conduct aerial searches of the river between Montgomery County and Philadelphia. The unit conducted an extensive search for a subject in the river but was unable to locate anyone and the search was ultimately called off late Tuesday.
A day after the storm swept through the region, members of the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety were out assessing damages in at least six municipalities, primarily located along the Perkiomen Creek.
“The damage assessment that’s happening is really our emergency management staff going out and documenting what happened,” Todd Stieritz, public affairs coordinator for the Department of Public Safety, said on Wednesday.
County officials were canvassing Collegeville Borough, Green Lane Borough and Perkiomen, Skippack, Marlborough and Towamencin townships, according to Stieritz.
“Certainly the close proximity to the Perkiomen Creek is a factor. We are aware that flooding from the creek certainly occurred there,” Stieritz said.
Arkoosh and Stieritz recommended that residents who sustained damage to their properties should initially contact their township or borough officials, who will compile local damage reports and then submit them to county public safety officials who will perform damage assessments. The damage assessments would be helpful if any state or federal emergency financial assistance potentially becomes available.
“Document everything and notify your township or borough, even if you do have insurance, so that we can get an overall picture of the extent of damages and possibly connect you with resources to help,” Arkoosh explained.
Residents should also get in contact with their insurance companies,
Stieritz said.
“That’s something that doesn’t always occur to people as the first thing to do after they’ve experienced damage from a storm,” Stieritz said. “People think they have to clean up right away, but besides mitigating any significant life safety hazards, they should get in contact with their insurance companies and document everything that happened. That includes taking pictures or videos as well as jotting down notes on what happened and when it happened.”
Stieritz said storm damage victims also must be mindful of potential hazards that come with postflood cleanup.
“When floodwaters come into a home or business they bring with them any of the hazardous chemicals that would be in any home or business, anything that people had stored in their garages, under their sinks, all that stuff is now in the floodwaters,” Stieritz warned. “So people should treat any area of their home or business that was flooded as if they’ve been touched by a hazardous chemical. So they should use proper safety equipment, including gloves and disinfectant and eye protection when performing any cleanup.”
Although the power outage numbers decreased significantly by Wednesday afternoon there still were a large number of customers in Montgomery County that were without power. Those affected by outages have electric services with PECO, PPL and Met-Ed/First Energy.
“We like to remind people that you never go near a downed power line, especially with any pooling of water on people’s property that can pose a hazard for that person,” Stieritz said.
“If the power outage for some individuals continues for hours into days, we remind people that you never use a generator indoors and also exercise extreme caution when using candles because of the significant fire hazard that they pose,” Stieritz added.