The Twelve Days Of Allison

Crews Monday resumed their search for two people missing after a deadly weekend fire triggered by heavy rains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Allison, authorities said.

Medical examiners were unable to identify the bodies of four others who were burned beyond recognition as flames swept through three buildings in the Village Green apartment complex in Montgomery County, about 15 miles north of Philadelphia.

Four deaths were linked to the storm in Pennsylvania, authorities said Sunday, pushing the total blamed on Allison since it made landfall in Texas to at least 43.

"I never seen anything like this in my entire life. You only see this on the news," Madeline Smith said as she picked her way through twisted metal and other debris left in her yard when Pennypack Creek rose out of its banks. She and boyfriend Ken Edwards were rescued from chest-deep water rushing past their home Saturday by holding onto a rope pulled by firefighters.

The rain tapered off Sunday in Pennsylvania, which got up to 9 inches, as the storm moved through New Jersey and New York into New England and out to sea. Parts of New Jersey got more than 5 inches of rain, flooding roads.

"We lost everything. We just about lost our lives," Genevieve Meyers said. "I was scared half to death."

Meyers, 65, and her husband, Bill, 72, scrambled into a firefighters' boat from a second-story window after the flood forced them from their first-floor apartment.

On Sunday, four bodies were found in the complex's most heavily damaged building, where the fire occurred, said Upper Moreland Police Chief William Moffett.

"We think that everything was caused by the flood initially," Moffett said. "It appears that the water damage caused a gas leak somewhere, which caused the fire. And the deaths apparently were fire deaths."

Dale Williams, of Allentown, said his 29-year-old nephew, who had Down syndrome, and his 77-year-old mother were among the dead.

"What's happened all could have been avoided," Williams said as he tried to comfort his grieving family outside the ruins. "There was no evacuation plan for the people in that place. It's ridiculous."

The storm earlier was blamed for 22 deaths in Texas and Louisiana, nine in Florida, nine in North Carolina and one Saturday in Virginia.

The storm knocked out power to about 50,000 customers in Pennsylvania and PECO Energy repair crews were still at work Sunday, spokeswoman Vonda Paige said.

At the storm's height, water flooded homes and sumerged vehicles in low-lying areas of Bucks and Montgomery counties northeast of Philadelphia.

Several firefighters in Montgomery County's Willow Grove area had to climb trees to keep out of the rapidly rising water, said county dispatch supervisor Steve Keeley.

Keeley said 150 people were evacuated from a motel in Fort Washington after water flooded the first floor and knocked out power. There were no immediate reports of severe injuries, he said.

Bucks County dispatchers reported dozens of people trapped in cars stalled on flooded highways.

David Michaeli, 19, and his girlfriend, Sarah Stringer, 20, had to wade and swim from their swamped car on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

"A wave of water just swept the car into a pond. It rapidly sunk," Michaeli said.

Three Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation commuter lines were out of service because the tracks were flooded; the company was using shuttle buses to transport passengers.

The storm also flailed Connecticut Sunday, dumping more than 7 inches of rain in a 14-hour period.

In Massachusetts, dozens of traffic accidents were blamed on the storm and lightning sparked several house fires. None of the accidents was serious, authorities said.

Up to 5 inches of rain fell in the state, closing many streets, including Route 4 in Billerica. Some children took advantage of the weather to go swimming on flooded Ellis Avenue.

Some flights at Logan International Airport were delayed more than four hours, and nearly 200 flights had been canceled as of Sunday evening, Massachusetts Port Authority spokesman Phil Orlandella said.

"Drive a stake in Allison's heart, quick," said Peter Judge, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. "This thing's been around for nine, 10 days. This looks like the end of it."

Allison moved into Texas on June 6 and quickly weakened, but it lingered and inundated the Houston area on June 8 and 9, giving the area a one-week total of nearly 3 feet of rain.

The storm damaged about 27,000 homes in Houston and surrounding Harris County, and by Sunday the damage was estimated at $2.1 billion. Twenty-seven other counties in southeast Texas also had millions of dollars in damage.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said more than 42,000 Texans had applied for state and federal assistance, and more than $8.5 million in grants or loans already had been distributed.

Five shelters housing 345 people remain open, and FEMA said it would open a seventh disaster recovery center Monday.

Houston's Lakewood Church was once again a place of worship Sunday, one week after it canceled services the first time in its 42-year history — when it became a shelter for about 5,000 people.

"We are so glad to have all of you here today," the Rev. Joel Osteen said. "You've gone through some terrible things this past week."

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