Clean-up underway in New Castle County after live wires trapped people in cars during rainstorm
SHERWOOD PARK, Del. (CBS) -- A scary scene in New Castle County, Delaware when power poles snapped and the live wires trapped several people inside their cars. The poles are still dangling over the street and the wires are running across the road, blocking several people from being able to leave their driveway.
Take a look at this white pickup, you can see the wires on top of the hood.
CBS Philadelphia was told two people were trapped inside the truck and two others were trapped inside another SUV and had to be rescued. They're all safe but now the question is how long before this is all cleaned up.
"It was like an explosion, crazy, it was something out of the movies for sure," Christine Zambrana said.
Zambrana was with her family Tuesday night when the powerful and dangerous winds snapped six power poles outside her home.
They came crashing down on Milltown Road in Sherwood Park, knocking out power.
Six power poles snapped on Milltown Rd in New Castle County, DE during Tuesday’s storm. 4 ppl were trapped in their cars and had to be rescued. They were not injured. Officials say it could take days before this is completely cleaned up. @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/5aeKIAhxbC
— Ryan Hughes (@HughesCBS3) January 10, 2024
RELATED: Power outage map: Heavy rainstorm leaves thousands without power across Philadelphia area
Part of the roof at the Red Roof Inn on S College Ave in Newark, DE blew off during last night’s storm and smashed several cars. One driver said he was with his daughter and just got out of the SUV and moments later it was destroyed. No one was injured. @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/F35244GJZk
— Ryan Hughes (@HughesCBS3) January 10, 2024
"It was like a big crackle and then we heard a boom and then we all ran downstairs to the family room because we were all screaming 'Get away from the windows,'" Cali Swingle said.
The live power lines fell on top of a white pickup truck and SUV, trapping the four people inside both cars. Firefighters said it took about an hour before the power was shut off and all four people were safely rescued.
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"Our power is down for right now but thank God we didn't have any fires and thank God the people out of the cars made it out without any issues," Angel Garcia said.
Cleanup is underway in Hockessin after several trees toppled over in yards near the Quail Ridge development. At least four cars were partially submerged in floodwaters outside the Gander Hill Prison in Wilmington Wednesday afternoon.
At least 4 cars are still partially submerged in floodwaters in Wilmington, DE. This is on E 12th Street outside the Gander Hill Prison, which is an area that is prone to flooding. @CBSPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/QglqxsLD79
— Ryan Hughes (@HughesCBS3) January 10, 2024
"This is not what we wanted to start the year with, so it's very stressful," Zambrana said.
Back on Milltown Road, Zambrana showed CBS Philadelphia her backyard where two trees and power lines landed on her home.
She said the damage could be worse but now they're dealing with power surges and intermittent outages.
"We're trying to charge our electronics as much as we can because we are expecting the power to go out with all the work they're gonna have to do," she said.
Delmarva Power said there's no timetable on when this will be fixed. Crews are out in the area still assessing the damage and said it could take several days.
About 65,000 customers were without power in New Castle County at the height of the storm. CBS Philadelphia was told that number is now around 6,500.