Maggie Dugery ‘23
Sarah Kotopka ‘23
The effects of Hurricane Ida have been felt across the entire country in the past several weeks, including Philadelphia’s Boathouse Row when the hurricane flooded the Schuylkill River on Thursday, September 2nd. Structures located near and on the river suffered extensive damage. Boats, important electrical equipment, and more essential components for rowing crew require repairs which could alter crew team practice in the future.
Molly Konopka, Latin teacher and Head Crew Coach, explains the impact Ida had on the boathouse, saying, “The water was chin high in the boat bays under the house. Since EA’s boats are stored outside on a little bit higher land, all of our boats and oars were safe, though covered in thick mud. Damage to the boathouse itself may be another story. Having 5 feet of water putting pressure on the retaining wall is never good. The cracks in the building have expanded. Time will tell if there is long-term foundation damage.”
Although the electrical components to EA’s boats will have to be fixed, they endured minimal damage compared to those of others on Boathouse Row. According to Robert Maier, Upper School History teacher and Crew Coach, “Many other programs on the river, including Temple University and St. Joe’s Prep, lost docks and boats to the storm. In addition, an important safety wire that stretches across the river to prevent boats from accidentally going over the dam was torn off its supports.”
On the issue of the safety line, Konopka adds, “Replacing that is an effort by the City of Philadelphia and the US Army Corp of Engineers, which oversees all major waterways in the US. Right now we can escort our few boats out and around the corner from that line, but the thought of not having a safety line in front of the dam with novices starting in March is frightening to all coaches on Boathouse Row.”
Fall and spring crew member Julia Zhang ‘23 also comments ,“We can’t leave the docks without a coach now because of it [lack of safety line] … Other than that, practice is the same as it always was.”
The safety line isn’t the only issue affecting the river. Maier highlights several additional repercussions of Ida, noting, “There is also still substantial debris such as trees stuck in the river which we need to row around. And the buildup of mud from the storm exacerbated the existing silt problem, ironically making the river even shallower despite all the water that came through.”
Furthermore, despite the eagerness to return to the river, regattas are a different story. Many fall competitions have already been cancelled and Maier predicts, “there will likely be more cancellations until those repairs are made.”
As climate change continues to increase the intensity of hurricanes, the need for an effective defense against possible damage escalates. Konopka offers insight into what some of these preventative measures could look like, saying, “The river needs to be dredged. This was begun a few years ago but not completed. That is part of the problem. The river is much shallower, especially in the area surrounding Boathouse Row, where the water is only six inches deep. This puts Boathouse Row and the structures along the river in precarious situations whenever the river goes up. Also the delayed infrastructure updates, like the dredging, exponentially heightens these problems.” Additionally, Konopka emphasizes the need for improvements, not only regarding the Schuylkill, but also on a global scale. She asserts, “With exaggerated storms driven by climate change, the engineers in the world will need to really look at options to solve these problems. Right now, there are no plans to build structures to control these issues.”
Moreover, the impact of Hurricane Ida in Philadelphia can serve as a wake up call for projects to reduce climate change and prevent damage in severe weather. In less than three weeks, a plan to repair the cable of the safety line was organized. Hopefully, other improvements, including dredging the Schuylkill River and fixing structural and engineering issues, will follow.
Nevertheless, EA rowers are excited to be back on the river. Caden Collins ‘23, co-captain of Spring Crew states, “I’m really grateful that we got so lucky and were able to start practicing again right after the hurricane. It’s been going really well so far, and I’m excited to start racing again later on in the fall!”
