Wreckage from Ida
Gov. Wolf, officials tour tornado-damaged areas Township-school complex looks like ‘war zone’
“I know that for many, this will be a long and complex recovery, and, worse, some families are dealing with the loss of loved ones. I want to thank everyone for their patience and willingness to help their friends and neighbors.” — Gov. Tom Wolf
FORT WASHINGTON >> Gov. Tom Wolf was in Montgomery County Friday surveying the wreckage of areas hit hardest by the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
During his stop in Upper Dublin Township, debris surrounded him as he addressed members of the media.
“I know that for many, this will be a long and complex recovery, and worse, some families are dealing with the loss of loved ones,” Wolf said in a statement. “I want to thank everyone for their patience and willingness to help their friends and neighbors.”
Venturing further into Upper Dublin Township, motorists were met with scenes that some described as looking like a war zone complete with road blocks, downed wires and trees.
The damages resulted from an EF-2 tornado that barreled through parts of the county on Wednesday, from Fort Washington in Upper Dublin Township to Horsham Township, with “estimated wind peaks [of] up to 130 mph,” the National Weather Service Mount Holly N.J. office tweeted Thursday afternoon.
“It’s a difficult time in Upper Dublin right now,” said Ira S.
Tackel, a township commissioner. “For those who are in areas that weren’t hit hard by this tornado, the devastation that we’ve experienced is unprecedented.
“If you look around just here,
our township building is unusable,” he continued. “We have 3,100 or so residents that are still without power. If you look around, you’ll see these power poles snapped like twigs.”
Montgomery County Commissioners’ Vice Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr. toured the inside of the Upper Dublin Township building, located on 801 Loch Alsh Ave. in Fort Washington. Portions of the roof were blown off and ventilation and insulation was strewn about the facility.
“Well, I had seen pictures but seeing it in person, it’s horrific,” Lawrence told MediaNews Group. “And to know that there were officers in there and thank God they were OK. I’ve never seen devastation like this except on television.”
Upper Dublin High School just across the street from the township was also in the path of the tornado.
“We do have some significant damage to the pool area, the natatorium of the high school,” Tackel said. “I believe one of the elementary schools was hit pretty hard.”
Cell phone service was also affected.
“Back over here we had a 120-foot cell tower with multiple carriers on it. It’s gone. It came down,” Tackel said.
Tackel acknowledged the efforts of local first responders and township employees as the Montgomery County municipality is still reeling from the storm.
“This is barely 36 hours after the storm. So again, we just need some patience, understanding from the residents,” Tackel said. “There are probably many residents that don’t even know the extent of the damage. We need to get the word out to them. That’s what’s important.”
Three Montgomery County residents who lost their lives in the storm were identified in a release from Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Michael Milbourne as Maxine Weinstein, 68, of Fort Washington, who died Wednesday when a tree fell on her home; Craig Messinger, 70, of Schwenksville, who was found dead on Thursday in Skippack Township after drowning; Jack Caroluzzi, 65, of Bridgeport, who was found dead Thursday at his home. A county spokesperson said Friday afternoon that the “cause of death is pending investigation and the manner of death is also pending.”
A fourth person died in Bucks County. Donald Allen Bauer, 65, of Perkiomenville, was pronounced dead of drowning at 10:10 a.m. on Thursday by the Bucks County Coroner’s Office, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.
The storm knocked out power to thousands throughout the region. According to a PECO spokesperson, there were approximately 16,000 customers without power across the greater Philadelphia areas as of Friday morning. There were 135,000 PECO customers impacted, according to a PECO spokesperson.
Of those affected in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, and York counties, Montgomery County had by far the highest number with 12,000 outages as of 8 a.m. Friday.
There were 9,034 calls for assistance taken at the county’s emergency communications center from noon Wednesday to 11:59 p.m. Thursday, according to Todd Stieritz, public affairs coordinator for the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety. He added that a “typical 36-hour period would” consist of approximately 3,200 to 3,300 calls for service.
First responders conducted 467 water rescues, Stieritz said.
“The devastation has been countywide in this storm,” said Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Val Arkoosh.
“It’s incredible how the damage is different here in the eastern side of the county, it’s more wind from the tornado, but [in] Bridgeport and Norristown and in Perkiomen Valley, we had a lot of flooding,” she told MediaNews Group. “People have been displaced there. So it’s going to take some time, but we need neighbors to help their neighbors.”
Along with Upper Dublin Township, Wolf spent his time Friday touring other parts of southeastern Pennsylvania, including Horsham in Montgomery County and Downingtown, in Chester County.
Leaders at the local, county, state, and federal levels were also in attendance Friday afternoon in Upper Dublin Township as they walked along streets littered with tree limbs and power lines.
“We’ve had tragic loss of life, tragic loss of property, of livelihoods, of businesses, small, medium and large, people displaced out of homes, landscapes that we no longer even recognize,” said U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th Dist, reflecting on the week’s events.
Montgomery County issued an emergency disaster declaration Thursday, and Dean stressed to Wolf the importance of working to receive federal assistance to cover the cost of the damage. The total extent and dollar amount is not yet known.
“We are urging that when
we put forward the preliminary damage assessment that we will get FEMA relief,” Dean said. “We absolutely need it.”
Officials emphasized the importance of reporting storm damage at the local and county levels.
To obtain a link to the necessary paperwork, visit montcopa.org/ida.
Arkoosh urged area residents and business owners to complete this process.
“That will help ensure
that we get every single dollar that is justified to come into our region, and this applies to anybody in Montgomery County; it will assist the governor and Congresswoman Dean to advocate on our behalf.”
So far there have been 932 damage reports turned in, according to Stieritz.
Those interested in receiving updates about the storm and about ongoing recovery efforts should text MontcoIda to 888777. County officials also established a Hurricane Ida Crisis Cleanup Hotline at 844-965-1386. For more information and available resources, visit montcopa. org/ida.
Just a little more than two miles down the road from Upper Dublin in nearby Ambler, downtown shops and restaurants are working together to help the township during First Friday, which will take
place from 6-9 p.m., according to Ambler Main Street Manager Elizabeth Wahl Kunzier.
“Many of our businesses are donating a portion of their sales proceeds or setting up a donation bin or both to give back to the neighbors in Upper Dublin,” Wahl Kunzier told MediaNews Group. “We know they’re hurting, and we know we have to help somehow, so we’re setting up an account and we’re going to give back to our neighbors. Together we can conquer.”
Tackel said he is hopeful that people will work together to pick up the pieces and get things back to normal.
“The amazing part about Upper Dublin is its resiliency, and the fact that we work together, and we will get through this,” he said. “Just give us a little bit of time. Be patient. We’re there for you.”