Chester County Sets Up Resource Center For Hurricane Ida Recovery

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Chester County will bring resources for disaster relief from multiple emergency resources to a one-stop location on Wednesday and Thursday for those affected by Hurricane Ida.

The County announced Monday what it called a "one-stop shop" at the United Sports Training Center, 1426 Marshallton Thorndale Road in Downingtown, on Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 7 p.m.

Chester County officials and the Department of Emergency Services will operate a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) for all residents and families in Chester County affected by last week's heavy rains and flooding as the remnants of Hurrican Ida crossed the County.

The Chester County MARC is a single location where staff from many agencies will be available to help with the services needed to address losses caused by Hurricane Ida.

"While it is not a federally-operated disaster relief center, this MARC is a County-led operation to bring together local resources quickly that can help to support individuals and families impacted by Hurricane Ida, including the important first step of fully and accurately reporting property damage for future state and federal aid," said Mike Murphy, Director, Chester County Department of Emergency Services.

At the MARC, residents will have access to representatives from non-profit disaster relief organizations including the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, as well as Legal Aid of Southeastern PA and local emergency management agencies, Chester County officials explained in a news statement. Staff from Chester County government emergency services, health, human services, housing, workforce, veterans' affairs, and water resources departments will also be available to provide assistance.

Specifically, help will be given with reporting property damage, and with connecting with local municipalities, the County said.

"In the aftermath of Ida, we have seen family, friends, and neighbors pulling together to help each other in so many ways," Murphy said.

Parking is available on site, and public transportation services from the Coatesville, Downingtown, and Avon Grove areas of the county to the United Sports Training Center will be provided by Rover Community Transportation.

Details of the public transportation schedule will be announced by Tuesday, September 7, and posted on Chester County's Hurricane Ida webpage.

Reporting Property Damage

Chester County residents and business owners who had their property damaged during Hurricane Ida are strongly encouraged to report it to the municipality where the home or business is located. A damage assessment form has been created to capture the critical information, making it easier to provide relevant damage information. The County said as the clean-up process begins, it is important to document everything with photos of the damage and receipts for repairs and cleaning.

For Chester County business owners, in addition to reporting property damage to the municipality where the business is located, all of Chester County’s chambers of commerce are working to provide assistance for their business communities.

Please contact your local Chamber of Commerce for information and updates. And for additional support for businesses, the U.S Chamber of Commerce Foundation has a disaster support hotline at 1-888-MY-BIZ-HELP (888-692-4943).

Housing Assistance

Chester County said if you or anyone you know, is still in need of housing assistance, please call 2-1-1 any time day or night, and select 2, 2, 1 on all of the prompts. Those calling should identify themselves as flood victims, and their referral assistance will be prioritized, the County said.

Flood Recovery Guide

For additional resources on cleaning up after the flood, please refer to Chester County’s Flood Recovery Guide.

For all information and ongoing updates on Chester County's support for Hurricane Ida, go to the Hurricane Ida webpage.

Make sure you know what's happening in your town. Sign up to get Patch emails and don't miss any local news: https://patch.com/subscribe.