PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A wave of severe thunderstorms struck the Greater Philadelphia area on Thursday, bringing with them heavy winds and rain that wreaked havoc across the region.
The storms resulted in widespread damage, with trees uprooted and power lines downed, leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses in the dark.
Around 5 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Chester, Delaware, and New Castle counties, which lasted for about half an hour during the worst of the storm.
In Bala Cynwyd, the roof of an insurance company near City and Belmont avenues sustained damage, as described by Candice Taylor, who was at the office during the storm.
“We heard a loud bang, and all of a sudden the roof partially blew off parts of the roof toward the west end of the building and it blew into the parking lot as well,” she recounted, noting debris scattered in the area and multiple trees toppled.
Fortunately, the company plans to file a claim for the damage.
In Roxborough, a particular trouble spot was Ridge and Monastery avenues, where a tree collapsed onto Ridge Avenue, crushing four parked cars.
Neighbors observed how the wind shear and varied wind directions during the storm contributed to the tree’s destruction.
One passerby mentioned the misfortune of the vehicles affected, including a red Jeep whose driver was stuck but managed to escape safely after the incident.
As a result of the storm, there were also reported injuries. In East Oak Lane, a child sustained injuries due to a falling tree.
Additionally, in Chester County’s Westtown Township, a house fire occurred on Westbourne Road, which officials have identified as potentially weather-related, possibly stemming from downed electrical wires or lightning strikes; fortunately, no injuries were reported.
The storm’s impact extended beyond structural damage; there was also a partial power outage reported at Jefferson Abington Hospital in Montgomery County, although the emergency room remained unaffected until power was fully restored later that evening.
The inclement weather disrupted community events as well, with the Juneteenth block party at the African American Museum in Philadelphia ending early and attendees of the Barefoot Country Music Festival in Wildwood having to evacuate due to lightning hazards.
PECO, the local utility company, reported that more than 327,000 customers were affected at the peak of the outages caused by the storms.
Due to the widespread nature and extensive impact of the storms, PECO indicated that restoration efforts could stretch into the weekend, enlisting help from crews as far as Illinois to assist with recovery efforts.
PECO acknowledged the disruption caused by the power outages and expressed apologies for the inconvenience.
In response to the outages, many residents have been seeking ways to preserve the perishable contents of their fridges and freezers.
Cindy Barton, a resident of Bryn Mawr, expressed her concerns while picking up ice at a local store.
“I’m getting ice and I’m going to try and save my freezer stuff,” she stated, explaining her anxiety about the expensive meat products she had recently purchased.
Barton mentioned that she had been without power since the severe thunderstorms hit on Thursday evening and criticized the lack of information from PECO regarding restoration times.
As of Friday morning, PECO was not providing estimated times for power restoration because so many customers were still affected.
However, by Friday evening, estimates were once again available, with some residents informed that their power would not be restored until late Monday.
Zafar Abdullah of Wynnewood also shared his plight as he looked to save his food supplies, remarking on the uncertainty around his freezer items, particularly seafood and steaks.
In the midst of these challenges, David DeBeary, a delivery driver for the Arctic Glacier Ice Company, reflected on the importance of his role in providing ice to residents without power.
“It’s a privilege to be able to supply people with ice that don’t have power so they can keep all of their refrigerator items fresh,” he observed, noting the severity of the storm’s impact with trees and power lines down everywhere.
As the community navigates through the aftermath of the thunderstorms, residents are left to deal with the lingering effects of the storm and the uncertainty of when power will be restored completely.
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