Darby welfare office inundated by crowd of more than 600 people

    More than 600 people waited at a Darby Department of Public Welfare office this morning, seeking assistance to replace food destroyed by storms from Hurricane Irene.

    The Mercury reports the crowd gathered outside of the office, on the 800 block of Main Street, earlier this morning.

    Many in the crowd hoped they could receive food stamps to purchase groceries that perished during the storm, which hit Pennsylvania and much of the northeast at the end of August.

    Storms from Hurricane Irene left some neighborhoods in Delaware County without power for up to a week.

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    The Mercury reports Darby Borough Police were called to help monitor the crowd. At one point, crowds became so large, police had to shut down a part of Main Street in both directions for about two hours.

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