On August 29, 2021 Ida made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane and continued its path up along the East Coast. While Ida’s category and strength lowered on its journey, it still brought devastation to our area.
Wednesday afternoon the sky grew dark very quickly when Ida hit our area around 3:30PM and continued through the night. From flood warnings, tornado warnings, to businesses closing early, everyone took shelter from the storm. As of now, we know that seven tornados touched down in the Greater Philadelphia Area and New Jersey, but others are still in question.
On Thursday, many woke to major flooding and power outages. The Schuylkill River separates University City from Center City and it crested at 16.35 feet. Main Streets were flooded, river walks and train tracks covered and even highways under water. The last time the river ever reached that height was back in 1869.
The University was closed on Thursday but luckily Penn’s facilities only experienced minor damages from the storm. Thank you to all the first responders who helped keep everyone safe!
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