Cleanup work underway after massive water main break in West Philadelphia

WEST PHILADELPHIA -- Cleanup and repair work are underway after a massive water main break caused flooding and prompted evacuations in a West Philadelphia neighborhood.

Most of the people near the 500 block of North 52nd Street remained out of their homes Sunday afternoon, after authorities shut off gas and electrical service in the area as a precaution.

The thousands of gallons of water that flooded the street earlier had receded.

What remained was extensive damage - damage to the street, to more than a dozen vehicles, and to homes. A long, hard cleanup and repair effort lies ahead.

PHOTOS: Massive water main break in West Phila.

The first calls to emergency responders came in at 4:00 a.m. Sunday after a 36-inch main broke under North 52nd Street.

Police and firefighters arrived to find water surging up from beneath the street - water that would eventually buckle the asphalt, jostle parked vehicles and quickly turn the street into a river.

First responders helped residents out of their homes and away from the rising water.

"I was in the bed asleep," said resident Shanika Williams. "Somebody banged on my window, and when I looked out I saw water shooting up."

Williams walked out to see her car underwater.

Images from the Action Cam broadcast on Action News at 6:00 a.m. showed at least a dozen vehicles partially submerged.

Action News is told many homes were flooded. More than one dozen were evacuated.

A temporary shelter was initially set up by the American Red Cross at West Catholic High School at 4501 Chestnut Street, but the shelter was later closed after no residents showed up there.

Action News is told many in the close-knit community were staying with family and friends.

The Red Cross did remain on the scene, providing water to utility and repair crews, and standing by to help any residents in need.

The Philadelphia Water Department was able to shut off water to the broken main in a matter of hours.

By 8:00 a.m. most of the water had receded, and residents started to assess the damage - only to be told to evacuate again so PGW could check on its gas main located next to the water main break.

Officials stressed that no one was in danger.

The fire department remained on the scene, standing by as a precaution.

Later, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter arrived on scene. City officials expect the repairs to take time.

"All the folks here on 52nd Street, most of the folks on Creighton Street, Paxon Street have no electricity at the moment. The water removal/basement clearing operation is still going on. Right before we came here we saw another basement, easily 5 or 6 feet of water in it. So that part of the operation will be going on for some time," said Mayor Nutter.

It's not clear yet how long residents might be out of their homes. The Red Cross is also on standby for any people that need somewhere to stay.

As repair work got underway to the broken main, so did the investigation into what caused it to rupture.

The pipe at the center of the break dates back to the 1800s.

Officials say increased water pressure in the line due to high summertime demand may be to blame.