Ida ravages the Philly area: ‘There is a social and cultural cost’

Rampant rainfall and flooding related to Hurricane Ida affected residents across the Philly area Wednesday night and into the next day. The wreckage meant submerged cars and roadways, as well as power outages and rocky internet connections.

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It’s meant interrupted work days for some tech workers, too. But beyond the irritation of disrupted client calls and team standups, more so, it has them thinking about the root causes of the storm.

Business and design anthropologist Matt Artz told Technical.ly he experienced poor internet connectivity today at his home in Dresher in Montgomery County. He attributed the atypical thunderstorms and flooding to climate change.

“This experience reaffirms the kind of wicked problems we are facing as a result of climate change,” he said. “The total cost of climate change goes well beyond the environmental destruction and the fiscal costs to clean up after disasters. There is a social and cultural cost that impacts human relations, professionally and personally.”

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This Week In Jobs writer and Philly resident Grace Shallow found herself powerless Thursday afternoon when she lost power for two hours and was forced to work at a nearby café until she received a text from PECO saying that her service was renewed.

Arts and culture critic Kathia Woods was grateful to still have electricity and internet connectivity in her Valley Forge home near Valley Forge National Park, which experienced flooding during the previous night’s storm. Like Artz, she believes that climate change has also led to Philly’s torrential downpours.

“I’ve lived here for 22 years it wasn’t until the last five years [that] we started to have tornado watches and severe storms,” she said.

Check out these resources for those in need:

The City is actively responding to storm damage and flooding from Hurricane Ida. Below, residents and businesses can find updates and helpful resources, including how to report damages and other issues ⬇️https://t.co/eu99z8qmsU

— Philly311 (@philly311) September 2, 2021

Where to get help after Ida floods Philly region https://t.co/CRx4Se61SW pic.twitter.com/vsZMuiVovE

— Billy Penn (@billy_penn) September 2, 2021

PLS SHARE: If you are impacted by storm damage and need a place to stay safe and dry, head to @PhilaOEM’s reception center at West Philly HS (4901 Chestnut Ave).

These centers also offer info, resources & basic necessities. They can transition to overnight shelters if needed.

— Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (@CouncilmemberJG) September 2, 2021

Bucks County flood victims are eligible for low-interest loans to help recovery. Disaster Loan Outreach Centers are expected to open Monday in Lower Bucks and Philly.

📍 Lower Bucks Government Services Center, 7321 New Falls Road, Levittown.

✔ Details: https://t.co/zdIVxeOZfa

— Rep. Tina Davis (@RepTinaDavis) July 30, 2021

Michael Butler is a 2020-2022 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.