County cleans up after damaging weekend storms
The weekend’s torrential rains that led to damaging flooding in portions of Washington County have subsided, and now cleanup efforts are underway as the region copes with the aftermath.
Donegal Township has issued an emergency declaration, and the township, which purchases water from nearby Wheeling, W.Va., has issued a boil water advisory until further notice because of catastrophic flooding just over the state line that claimed the lives of at least six people.
No injuries were reported in Washington County, though the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh said heavy rains Saturday night caused “life-threatening” flash floods that trapped people inside vehicles and their homes.
“We had about four inches of rainfall in an hour in some parts, and when you have that much rain in a short amount of time, there’s nothing you can do – you’re going to have flooding,” said Mark Grimm, chief of North Strabane Township Volunteer Fire Department.
A flood watch issued by NWS Pittsburgh remained in effect Monday in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties, as possible showers and thunderstorms carried the risk of more heavy rain and possible flash flooding.
“We’re not done with the rain,” said NWS Pittsburgh meteorologist Liana Lupo.
North Strabane’s fire department received more than 25 emergency calls Saturday, as flooding on a stretch of Route 19 left motorists stranded in high water.
Grimm said the fire department’s swiftwater rescue team was deployed to Wheeling to assist in search-and-rescue efforts in Ohio County. Township firefighters also assisted in rescues in the area.
In Washington County, South Strabane Township was especially hard-hit. Jordan Cramer, Chief of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, said crews performed rescue operations into the early hours of Sunday morning.
A large sinkhole formed at the entrance of Oak Spring Center, leaving a natural gas line exposed and causing the temporary closing of Eat ‘N Park restaurant while crews began repairs.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Cramer. “There were a lot of really unique scenarios that unfolded on Saturday, with people trapped in their cars or in their homes while water rose very rapidly.”
Among the rescues carried out was on Manifold Road in South Strabane, where firefighters from both South and North Strabane pulled a woman from her car after it was stranded in fast-rising water.
No injuries were reported in Washington County following the powerful rains and flooding.
On Monday, residents were cleaning up damage left by the flooding, including mud-filled basements and garages, debris, and washed-out driveways.
“We’re in contact with municipalities who were impacted by those events, and others are out there today seeing what they have,” said Washington County Public Safety Director Gerry Coleman. “A lot of what we’re seeing and hearing now is cleanup – cleaning up gravel, getting mud off roads, clearing debris from underneath bridges.”
Coleman said he expected other municipalities, including South Strabane, to file disaster emergencies, and fire departments were out Monday assessing damage to roads and homes.
North Franklin Township was among those to file an emergency. Bob Sabot, supervisor chairman and emergency management coordinator for the township, issued the declaration Monday afternoon after touring the township. Residents will be eligible to file claims for possible reimbursement for some damages through the state emergency management fund or the federal government. Residents or businesses can obtain paperwork online or through the township website.
Washington County 911 fielded dozens of calls Saturday.
“We had a high call volume at 911 from folks who were trapped in vehicles and folks who were dealing with flooding,” said Coleman.
The NWS Pittsburgh said Monday that additional rain could lead to more flooding, especially in Southwestern Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and eastern Ohio.
“These storms aren’t moving. They’re popping up and dumping rain, and they’re not moving; that’s the issue,” said Lupo. “That’s what happened in Wheeling, in Fairmont and Morgantown.
“What happened Saturday was nuts, when the New Wheeling Creek flooded. According to our gauge, the creek jumped from 3 feet to 10 feet in an hour-and-a-half. The bad part of it was just how fast it happened. And what made it more dangerous is that it happened at night, and that’s a bad combination.”
The first floor of South Strabane’s primary fire station on Oak Spring Road sustained significant water damage, and infrastructure underneath the rear of the parking lot adjacent to the building failed. Cleanup is underway, and an assessment of the extent of damage has started.
Coleman praised the efforts of the 911 crews and first responders.
“We’ve taken hundreds and hundreds of calls this year because of the number of bad storms we’ve had, and on the other side of the radio are our first responders who put themselves in harm’s way helping folks who get stuck or find themselves in trouble,” said Coleman. “They work tirelessly, and they work long hours, at any time, to ensure the safety and well-being of the community. Their commitment is tremendous.”