Last night, the Philadelphia Region suffered one of the worst storms in recent history—heavy rain, flooding, tornadoes, you name it; the results of Hurricane Ida’s path into the Northeast. It was bad. This morning, many of us woke up to the shock of severe flooding along I-676, in Manayunk, West Philadelphia, and many other parts of the city and region.
So, in case you haven’t seen the news this morning, we advise staying away from the city’s Schuylkill River Trail. As of this writing, it’s still underwater. And even after it drains, it likely won’t be safe for usage until the sewage is cleaned.
Entrance to the Schuylkill River Trail (via HamburgerHimbo on Twitter)
Additionally, the Manayunk Tow Path is completely flooded, as is Venice Island. We recommend staying away from these trails and bridges near the flood zones for the time being. Find an alternative, non-flooded route if you need to get around in those areas today.
If you need help finding that route, contact us.
To be clear, the Schuylkill River Trail flooding is among the least of the City’s worries after last night’s storm. These extreme weather events, however, will continue happening and continue devastating cities like ours unless serious action is taken to curb climate change. That includes, but is not limited to, changing our behaviors when it comes to getting around the city and region (and the country, for that matter) and ending the mass subsidies on motor vehicle usage and gas.
These events are a clear indication that our governments need to get serious about funding alternative transportation modes, like mass transit and safe active transportation routes, instead of widening city-dividing highways. We can end this if we care enough to do so.