Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Heavy rain causes flooding, road hazards
There were 41 water rescues around the county Monday morning
You can’t get there from here.
More heavy rainfall has caused flooding throughout Chester County and the Philadelphia region on Monday morning. Several roads were flooded, and some roads were impassable. By mid-morning, there had been 41 water rescues throughout the county.
According to the Chester County Department of Emergency Services, there have not been major road closures and no major accidents occurred.
County officials noted that the flooded areas typically flood during such rainstorms. County officials reminded drivers not to drive around barricades or cones, adding that the barricades are there for their protection and let people know that flooding is occurring on that road.
Citizens can report flooding and flooding damages to the county by emailing information and pictures, to chesterdes@gmail.com.
The East Branch Brandywine Creek in Downingtown was about two feet above the flood stage and the Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford was about a foot and a half
above the flood stage.
Downingtown Department of Public Works Director Jack Law III said the borough experienced some substantial flooding and at one point had seven roads closed, including Business Route 30. All roads reopened by 2 p.m. and by then, the Brandywine Creek had mostly receded back into the banks. Law said some parts of Kerr Park were still under water.
The Downingtown Fire Department had three water rescues in which most people were able to exit their car and walk away on their own from their vehicle. The firefighters did not need to use boats to rescue the occupants. However, Law said public works employees assisted firefighters by using a front end loader for a water rescue in East Caln.
“It poured like crazy in the morning,” Law said. “It started flooding around 7:15 or 7:30 (a.m.).”
Law noticed an “unusual amount of traffic” between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. He said it may have been people who could not get to work and drove toward their home. During that morning commute, he said, that’s when they noticed it the most that drivers went around barriers blocking off flooded roads.
Law said by requesting public works to assist the fire department, it takes away that manpower and delays the completion of other necessary tasks to keep people safe. He urged drivers to stay safe and turn around instead of driving through a flooded area.
“I would ask, if you see a barrier there for whatever reason, and especially if you see the road is flooded, do not drive around it,” Law said. “It taxes our resources even more.”
After a busy day the public works employees will have minor clean up duty tomorrow, Law said and added, “Everything else is in good shape.”
The flash flood for Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties ended at 1 p.m. because the heavy rain ended. A flood warning remains in effect. A flash flood continues through late Monday evening with more rain Tuesday, a break on Wednesday and more rain on Thursday and Friday.
East Brandywine Deputy Chief Joseph Edwards said there were about five roads that were inaccessible to emergency vehicles and the water was above car tires. He said some of the areas typically do not flood as much as it did on Monday.
East Brandywine firefighters assisted three people trapped in their vehicles by the rising water on Little Washington Road. The three occupants in the two vehicles on the bridge had nowhere to go because of the water and some of them had stood on top of their vehicle to get to higher ground. The firefighters were able to recuse them and no injuries were reported.
“I have never seen it that flooded there,” Edwards said.
He said crews also responded to an accident on Route 322 near Horseshoe Pike where debris from the rainwater had nearly blocked that area. The firefighters assisted the township public works employees to clear the roadway, which had been closed for a period.
“We had 20 volunteers to handle the calls. As each call came in we were able to handle it with the crew we had,” Edwards said. “Sometimes during the day it can be scarce because people work. We got pretty lucky.”
Red Cross announced that floods are among the most frequent and costly natural disasters. Flash floods occur suddenly, due to rapidly rising water along a stream or low-lying area.
The Red Cross Emergency App, which can be downloaded for free, provides emergency weather alerts, information about what to do in case of various disasters and the locations of open shelters.
Red Cross announced the following tips for the public to help stay safe should flooding threaten their community: Be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice. When a flood warning is issued for your area, head for higher ground and stay there. Stay away from floodwaters. If you come upon a flowing stream where water is above your ankles, stop, turn around and go another way.
If you come upon a flooded road while driving, turn around and go another way. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water.
Keep children out of the water. Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize flood danger.
Gov. Tom Wolf’s office announced that the Commonwealth Response Coordination Center (CRCC) was activated Monday morning at PEMA with staff in the Situation Awareness, Logistics, and Health sections to plan operations and staffing as needed. The Pennsylvania National Guard was given a warning order to ensure availability of personnel should they be needed in impacted areas.
“Our emergency agency personnel – state, county and local – are focused on helping Pennsylvanians in need as many parts of central Pennsylvania face another round of heavy rain and flash flooding,” Wolf said. “My sincerest thanks to them for their dedicated work as the state works to handle the effects of severe rain storms affecting much of the central and eastern part of the state.”
No flood deaths were reported in the state as of Monday evening, Wolf announced.
In Chester County, the following roads were closed due to flooding: Route 345 between the intersection of Ridge Road and Bulltown Road in Warwick and Conestoga Road in East Nantmeal; Yellow Springs Road in Tredyffrin Township; and Byers Road between Township Line Road and Senn Drive in Upper Uwchlan.
In Montgomery County, I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) was closed in both directions between the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Exit 28 in King of Prussia. The Pennsylvania Turnpike was closed eastbound between exits 333 and 326 in Valley Forge and westbound at the Norristown interchange. In Delaware County, Interstate 476, northbound had a lane closed by flooding at mile marker 8.5.