Governor Carney Requests Presidential Disaster Declaration after Flooding Caused by Tropical Depression Ida

The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) continues to conduct damage assessments

WILMINGTON, Del. –  Governor John Carney on Friday sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting a Major Disaster Declaration following flooding caused by Tropical Depression Ida. The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) in conjunction with the City of Wilmington and other partners, have spent the previous two weeks surveying damage in neighborhoods affected by the storm, to support the request for federal assistance. 

The following are excerpts from Governor Carney’s letter:

“Tropical Depression Ida interacted with a frontal system (and) produced 100-year rainfall returns in the Brandywine Creek basin. Heavy rains in Pennsylvania fell into Brandywine Creek, and flooding runoff flowed into Delaware on September 2, 2021.  

“Flooding from heavy rainfall caused considerable damage to residential and commercial structures and vehicles in the areas of the eastern portion of the City of Wilmington, as well as pockets along the Brandywine Creek from Talleyville, DE, through Edgemoor, DE.

“The Brandywine Creek in Wilmington rose to 23.14 feet Thursday morning, breaking its previous record of 20.43 feet in 2014. Flooding in Wilmington stretched between I-495 and Market Street, with the most significant impact in a fifteen to twenty-block area along the creek. In the early morning hours of September 2, water rescues were conducted in the Riverside neighborhood, with 200 people evacuated from the floodwaters…

“The State of Delaware continues to assist residents with an additional focus on providing support to our most vulnerable populations during these unprecedented times.”

Click here to read Governor Carney’s full letter. 

Click here to learn more about the resources available for those who were affected by the storm and ways to help.

###