The Pulse of CBS Philadelphia: July 10-14
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- This week, CBS News Philadelphia covered the flooding in Berks County, the sinkhole in Upper Darby, how the Beyhive rallied behind a Temple grad student who received a kidney transplant, and Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour's first U.S. stop in Philadelphia.
Here's what our CBS News Philadelphia team worked on this week:
Shapiro vows to help Berks County after record-breaking rainfall caused flooding
Authorities are still assessing the cost of the damage from Sunday's torrential rains.
There was storm damage all across the Philadelphia region, from a road washed away outside Reading to flooding in Hatboro and a confirmed tornado in Middletown in Delaware.
Record-breaking rainfall on Sunday led to catastrophic flooding across Berks County. The storm knocked out power for thousands.
During a tour of the damage Monday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro vowed funding to help the community rebuild.
"There is a local threshold within the county," Shapiro said. "That's $1.9 million in damage. There is then a statewide threshold for the storm that occurred yesterday. That's around $23 million. That's why it's critically important that everybody assesses their damage and reports that to our county officials, so we have that number in place."
Business owners ran from floodwaters Sunday while reliving the trauma of Hurricane Ida in 2021.
"We saw the river over here start to flood," said Azzah Kabbani, owner of Rozana Mediterranean Grill, on South York Road and South Warminster in the Bonnet Lane Plaza Shopping Center.
Staff was serving dinner around 7 p.m. Sunday, then started scrambling. A customer also ran out the door. Kabbani started throwing chairs and equipment on top of tables. She then went to higher ground and took a cellphone video from across the street.
The Montgomery County Department of Public Safety reported 14 water rescues in the county. However, the staff at Rozana did not need to be rescued. Instead, they planned to reopen for dinner as scheduled on Tuesday.
Upper Darby residents search for answers as sinkhole problems emerge
CBS News Philadelphia is working to get answers about sinkhole problems in Upper Darby.
Some homeowners reached out to us about what they say are expanding sinkholes around their properties.
Saint Anthony Drive neighbors in Upper Darby are praying to find some answers. They are asking why is the ground caving around their homes?
Neighbors say the sinkholes have been growing wider and deeper. They took their case to social media, pleading for weeks with Upper Darby Township officials to pay attention and get to the bottom of the situation.
"I have three kids and it's just a concern that anybody can go back there and who knows what will happen, if the ground gives way," a resident said.
Beyhive rallies behind Temple grad student receiving kidney transplant; Beyoncé stops by Philly
After spending years on the transplant list, a Temple Ph.D. student finally received a kidney. But that means she wasn't be able to see her idol Beyoncé when the popstar stopped in Philly Wednesday on her Renaissance World Tour.
"Honestly, I'm still processing it, but it's crazy," Jazmin Evans said.
It's been a week since Evans got the call she waited four years for.
"Yes on July 4th," she said. "Like I feel like the fireworks were for me in celebration!"
We first introduced you to the Temple grad student this spring while she was undergoing dialysis.
Fans packed Lincoln Financial Field on a hot July night – ready to dance and sing the night away.
The crowd's roar could be heard from outside the stadium as fans were "Crazy in Love" as they watched Beyoncé perform.
A few fans listened from the outskirts. The energy and costumes brought the city alive.
The BeyHive swarmed South Philly. They brought the diamonds, disco sequins and diva energy to the Linc.
"This is my first concert ever, so with it being Beyoncé, I gotta show up," a fan said.
