A Germantown man has launched a volunteer program asking neighbors to adopt and clean their local storm drains, targeting the kind of flash flooding that regularly hits neighborhoods across Philadelphia, including Torresdale in the Northeast.
Kadafi El-Kardah started Drain Buddies this summer with $7,500 in grant money. The program gives residents cleaning kits and asks them to keep a nearby storm drain clear of trash and debris. It opened applications on July 17 and had about seven signups as of early August, The Philadelphia Citizen reported. El-Kardah plans to distribute supplies so volunteers can begin cleaning in August.
Torresdale among flood-prone neighborhoods
Flash flooding caused by overwhelmed drainage systems is common in Germantown, Chestnut Hill, Roxborough, Andorra and Torresdale. Clogged inlets make the problem worse. Many of Philadelphia’s pipes are more than 100 years old and were designed for the rainfall levels of a different era. Litter, fallen leaves and other debris easily gum up those aging systems.
Howard Neukrug, executive director of the Penn Water Center and former commissioner and CEO of the Philadelphia Water Department, said the city faces a unique flooding challenge: trash…