FEMA announces more than $2 million to help flood-prone Eastwick

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When it rains, residents in Philadelphia’s Eastwick neighborhood start to panic. The nearby Cobbs Creek has a history of overflowing and flooding peoples’ homes. Over the years, residents have experienced property damage and the increased cost of flood insurance.

But they will soon get some relief. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced this week more than $2 million dollars in funding to help buffer flooding along the creek.

The funding will pay for the construction of HESCO flood barriers — a series of metal baskets containing a durable fabric filled with a soil mixture that blocks the overflow of water.

The barriers, which will be stacked like a pyramid across 1,400 feet of Cobbs Creek, are a temporary solution until a proposed levee is built. It could be another 10 years before the levee, which is currently being studied, is in place.

Long-time resident Brenda Whitfield said she’s relieved officials are taking some action now.

“It doesn’t seem like a lot to a lot of people, but it’s a lot for us because it means that we get to have a sense of security,” Whitfield said. “We get to rest when it rains. We don’t feel overwhelmed when it’s raining.”

Victoria Salinas, associate administrator of resilience for FEMA, said a near-term fix to flooding in Eastwick is crucial.

“We’re seeing that with the consequences of climate change, we’re having more frequent and more severe weather, and that includes flood risk,” Salinas said. “A project like a levee can take a decade. The likelihood that this community will suffer major flooding in the next decade is high.”

An additional $1.4 million in federal appropriation dollars was set aside in March for the project. The design phase of the barriers is expected to be complete by the beginning of next year, while construction is expected to begin in late 2026.

Ninety percent of the funding will come from federal dollars, thanks to new federal legislation that aims to take the financial burden off local communities. Prior to that law change, the cost share for the federal government was 75%.

The City of Philadelphia plans to use funds from the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Fund it received following Hurricane Ida.

Delaware County Council Member Elaine Schaefer applauded the funding for the new project. However, she stressed the importance of addressing the flooding itself.

“We have to both address the short term, but also look 30 years from now, ‘What can we do upstream that’s going to stop these waters from coming down?’ Not just control the waters once they’re there,” Schaefer said.