Philadelphia officials on Saturday pulled back the curtain on a new public flood-monitoring system that lets residents and businesses check real-time water levels from their phones and computers. The Office of Emergency Management says the tool will link new gauges and street cameras in flood-prone neighborhoods, starting with a pilot in Eastwick, to provide faster, block-level data during storms. City leaders say the information is meant to help people decide whether to move vehicles, protect basements or follow evacuation guidance when creeks, sewers or streets start creeping up.
At a press event, city staff described the web dashboard as a way to deliver critical, real-time information so Philadelphians can better protect their families and property, according to NBC10 Philadelphia. Deputy Managing Director Dominick Mireles highlighted how resident feedback shaped the effort, telling the station, "Listening to residents, addressing their concerns, and incorporating their ideas into potential solutions is critical to creating safer and stronger communities." Officials also said the pilot will steadily add more sensors and camera feeds as the project moves forward.
How the Pilot Works
The Office of Emergency Management’s 2025 annual report notes that the Flood Technology project has moved into a second phase that installed six cameras and three flood gauges in Eastwick, and is slated to finish additional installations and a public website in 2026, per the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management. The sensors and cameras will send live readings and video into a public-facing dashboard so users can check conditions on a map during heavy rain or localized sewer and street flooding. City officials say tying these on-the-ground measurements to stormwater and sewer data should improve situational awareness for both residents watching from home and response teams heading into the field.
Why Eastwick First
Officials chose Eastwick because it is one of Philadelphia’s lowest-lying, most flood-prone neighborhoods and has repeatedly suffered storm damage, according to reporting by WHYY. Eastwick has already been the focus of place-based outreach and an opt-in ReadyPhiladelphia pilot that sends neighborhood-targeted messages about possible and ongoing flooding, community leaders and city officials have said. The idea is that this kind of hyper-local alerting delivers faster, more relevant warnings to residents in areas where water can rise suddenly and leave little time to react.
How to Sign Up and Use the Tool
Residents who want neighborhood alerts can create or update a ReadyPhiladelphia account and opt into Eastwick messages, with the city’s sign-up page explaining the available options and delivery methods. Once the public dashboard goes live, users will be able to zoom in to specific blocks and view live gauge readings and camera feeds to help decide whether to delay a trip, move a car, or take other precautions. Officials stress that the dashboard is meant to complement, not replace, official evacuation orders and other life-safety directives.
Where This Fits in the City’s Monitoring
Philadelphia already runs predictive tools such as Philly RiverCast, which forecasts river conditions and water quality on the Schuylkill. The new OEM system is designed to add street-level, real-time water readings and video that RiverCast does not provide. While RiverCast focuses on river forecasts and recreational safety, the OEM sensors are aimed at spotting localized street and neighborhood flooding so officials and residents can act more quickly. Taken together, officials say the two systems should offer a more complete snapshot of flood risk across the city.
What’s Next
The OEM’s annual report says the pilot will wrap up with final installations and the launch of a public website this year, and officials hope what they learn in Eastwick will guide similar pilots in other flood-prone neighborhoods. City leaders are framing the project as one piece of broader resilience work that also includes green stormwater infrastructure and updated hazard-mitigation planning. Advocates, for their part, say long-term outreach and funding will be key to making sure the new tools actually reach those most vulnerable to flooding. For now, officials are urging residents to sign up for ReadyPhiladelphia and keep an eye out for the dashboard once it goes live.
