Irene might be gone, but it sunk the region underwater, caused widespread damage, left more than a million customers without power, and caused at least one local death.
Flooding still threatened residents of Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey today, even as Hurricane Irene was well past the area.
Irene dumped up to eight inches of rain on some parts of the area, chasing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and from shore vacations. Thousands ended up in temporary shelters.
Most of the high winds never materialized, even though strong gusts were reported. But, as of this evening, the most serious result of the storm was flood water, rising alarmingly fast in some places.
Of particular interest: Flood warnings on a range of creeks and rivers, including the Schuylkill, which crested today at 13.56 feet at 2:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
The main stem of the Delaware River - the non-tidal stretch above Trenton - will likely crest Monday morning, and the tidal portion of the Delaware at Philadelphia has probably already seen its high water mark of nearly 10 feet at 1:48 a.m., a National Weather Service official said.
Gov. Corbett, Mayor Nutter and a number of other elected officials gathered in East Falls this evening to survey damage and brief the media. They stood at the edge of a gas station parking lot, where the Schuylkill flooded Kelly Drive.
Corbett said he had spent the day touring water-damaged areas of Pennsylvania and would do the same on Monday.
Corbett said there were three fatalities statewide, though none in the immediate area. He commended Pennsylvanians for their conduct during the storm.
"You followed the instructions, and I know that doesn't always happen," Corbett said.
State Sen. Vincent Hughes (D., Phila.) said that although the rain had stopped, "there still remains a lot of problems, a lot of suffering. It's still important to remain vigilant about what's happening in our neighborhoods and our homes."
U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.) said he believed the White House would "favorably consider our request for emergency funds."
Mayor Nutter lifted the city's emergency declaration at noon, and SEPTA began restoring some service as of 10 a.m., including subway and trolley lines.
