Residents in the Philadelphia region are continuing to clean up days after microbursts left behind downed trees, damaged vehicles, blocked roads and power outages.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the extensive damage was caused by a series of at least four severe microbursts producing straight-line wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph that moved through portions of West and South Philly between approximately 2:44 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 11.
The first microburst began at around 2:44 p.m. in Lower Merion Township, according to the NWS. The second microburst occurred in the northern neighborhoods in West Philadelphia at around 2:52 p.m. The third microburst occurred in South Philadelphia at around 3:01 p.m., and a fourth also occurred in South Philadelphia at around 3:12 p.m.
The microbursts ended at around 3:15 p.m., the NWS said.
NBC10 obtained videos that showed the extent of the damage caused by the microbursts and strong thunderstorms.
Following the severe storms, Mayor Cherelle Parker visited affected neighborhoods and issued a Declaration of Disaster Emergency.
The city reported that PECO outages have been reduced to 902 customers in Philadelphia as of Monday afternoon, down from nearly 27,000 immediately following Saturday’s storm.
The city also shared that Philadelphia Parks & Recreation reported receiving around 340 tree emergency calls since Saturday; 220 have already been inspected and removal is in progress with the addition of contractors to accelerate the process.
As cleanup continues, residents say they’re hoping life returns to normal as soon as possible.
“I pray that by tonight, I will have some electricity. Powered up. God bless y’all,” said Eileen Ennett, who lives near Malcolm X Park.
Crews continue clearing downed trees and power lines as residents deal with damaged vehicles, power outages and blocked roads following Saturday’s microburst. NBC10’s Miguel Martinez-Valle and Brian Sheehan have the latest on the cleanup.
In Lower Merion, crews spent the majority of Monday removing g fallen trees, including a nearly 100-year-old oak in Wynnewood.
Elsewhere in Wynnewood, workers cleared branches and leaves from rooftops while crews assessed damage to homes. One home sustained roof damage, and a fallen tree brought down nearby power lines.
Residents are encouraged to place storm debris in paper bags at the curb or bring it to the township transfer station. Contractors and homeowners spent the day hauling away branches and other debris left behind by the storm.