Cleanup Begins In Fayette, Washington Counties After Heavy Rains Cause Flooding
BULLSKIN TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- Cleanup is underway after the heavy rains that fell on the area Friday afternoon caused some significant flooding.
The rain has stopped and so has the flooding, but for at least one man in Fayette County, Friday evening's drive home from work is one he won't soon forget.
Adam Hertzog and a friend shot video of Route 119 in Bullskin Township on their way home from work.
"The slow lane started to fill up a little bit, there was a bunch of cars in fast lane, and then within seconds it just filled up the whole side there," said Hertzog, of New Alexandria.
Hertzog, who drives a box truck, estimates about two feet of water came up around him in a matter of seconds.
"You just feel kind of helpless," he said. "There's nowhere to go in that section there. There's nothing you can do, you just see the water rising and here's not much you can do."
Mountz Creek overflowed its banks and completely flooded Moyer Road and the yards along it.
"Knocked over the fence, moved the hot tub, whole front yard," said Tracy Soles, of Bullskin Township. "We had a car parked in the backyard, we had to get it up out because it started floating away."
Bucket by bucket, Donna Wingrove tried to get the waist-high water out of her basement as she waited for the fire department to arrive.
"My washer, my dryer, my furnace, my refrigerator - everything in the basement's ruined," said Wingrove.
Water also pooled on the golf course at Pleasant Valley Country Club.
There were also reports t of some significant flooding in both Dawson and Upper Tyrone, also in Fayette County. The good news, the water has receded and cleanup has begun.
Meanwhile, the heavy rain that moved through the area also caused Catfish Creek in Washington County to overflow Friday afternoon.
There was a lot of water moving in places where it's not supposed to, and people driving when and where they should not.
"Numerous vehicles that we had to pull out of these water areas behind us. It probably stretches from here for about another mile," said Chief Linn Brookman, of the Washington Fire Department. "They drove right into the water even though they see standing water, and I know everybody always says do not driving into standing water, but they will not listen."
They also heard a lot of running water at City Hall.
Somehow the storm blew out a down spout or blew a hole in the roof. No one knows yet. They are certain they have damage.
"We have restoration crews on the way, and our public building guys are here now assessing the damage, and get up on the roof, and hopefully figure out what caused it and correct it, so that if we get another heavy rain over the weekend this won't happen again," said Joe Manning, of Washington City Council.
A tire business in the area was also flooded. It had minor damage and a bit of a mess to clean up.
Down the street, there was a real mess on the Washington and Jefferson campus. The football field ended up underwater. It'll require some cleanup, but there are no major worries.
Also, in McCandless in Allegheny County, two cars were trapped by flooding on Pine Creek Road. It happened near the intersection of McKnight Road and Perry Highway.
Two women were rescued. One was elderly and was taken to a hospital for treatment.
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