After up to 6 to 8 inches of rain fell from Ida’s remnants Wednesday by parts of the Philadelphia region, major flooding closed some of the city’s major roads as water flowed from the Schuylkill River.
In Philadelphia, the Vine Street (I-676), Schuylkill (I-76), MLK Drive and Kelly Drive were closed Thursday morning as water seized the tracks. Boathouse Row was flooded with water.
Water from the Schuylkill River flowed down the Vine Street, turning it into a river of water that cut Center City in half from 22nd Street to Broad Street.
Cars and trucks were crossing the flooded Schuylkill Expressway, near 30th Street, during the drive Thursday morning before PennDOT closed the road on 30th Street and the ramps around 6:40 p.m.
By 6 a.m., the water level along Schuylkill Station, near 30th Street Station, was already close to 16 feet, well above the significant flood level of 14 feet.
Philadelphia urged people to stay home and avoid the roads.
People in the lower reaches of the river in Manayunk were urged to stay on higher ground as the water rises. Garbage could be seen flowing down the flooded main street.
Roads along Kelly Drive in East Falls were also closed.
NBc10’s Randy Gyllenhaal shows you the floods in Manayunk while Mitch Blacher on SkyForce10 shows you East Falls while the Schuylkill River floods roads Thursday morning.
The Schuylkill River Road was completely underwater, SkyForce10 captured a person who was holding a pylon that was rescued.
The Fairmount Water Works, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, was underwater at dawn, with no sign of the normal dam seen at the time.
The Philadelphia School District delayed the two-hour opening for schools that open at 8:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. James Dobson Elementary School and Albert M. Greenfield School were also closed due to power outages.
Philadelphia libraries and government buildings were closed Thursday. The street department was still trying to pick up trash and recycling in areas where no flooding occurs.
Public transportation was also affected: “The service operates with delays and cancellations due to the residual effects of Tropical Storm Ida,” SEPTA said.
SEPTA includes all affected regional rail and bus lines on its website.
The worst of the floods was expected, as the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia grew around 9 p.m. At 8:35 a.m., the water was above 16 feet, below the 17-foot record, according to the National Weather Service.
The best option is to avoid driving anywhere if not necessary, as other roads are also expected to be flooded.