As rain pounds the region, communities report flooding, evacuation warnings
Pictured is the boat launch at Yough River Park in Connellsville.聽
Jim Downey | 缅北禁地
Flooded backyards can be seen at homes near Yough River Park in Connellsville Monday.
A truck makes its way through a flooded roadway at the intersection of South Mount Vernon Avenue Extension and Lebanon Avenue Monday morning.
A large tree branch lays in the KeyBank parking lot at the intersection of East Church Street and North Beeson Boulevard Monday morning.
A portion of North Beeson Boulevard near Caporella's in Uniontown is closed due to heavy rainfall and flooding Monday morning.
With rain predicted to continue through today, officials in Connellsville have issued an evacuation warning for the west side of the city near Yough River Park.
While an evacuation is not mandatory at this point, Connellsville police have asked that people avoid the area to allow first responders to help residents who are leaving. Police warned that anyone found passing the safety barriers or ignoring the direction of officials assisting there will be cited.
City Mayor Greg Lincoln said Monday around 8 a.m. that the Youghiogheny River stood at 14 feet, an 8-inch rise since Sunday night. The National Weather Service reported as of 10:15 a.m., the river stood at 14.4 feet.
Food stage begins at 12 feet.
鈥淚f we hit 16 feet, the Yough Park area is going to be a world of hurt. That鈥檚 when all the basements will start flooding and we鈥檒l have to be concerned about the hotel,鈥� Lincoln said, referring to the Cobblestone.
Late Sunday and early Monday, Lincoln said emergency responders took calls for flooded basements and wind damage, including downed power lines.
鈥淚t was a pretty hectic night for our first responders,鈥� Lincoln said, noting that last night power lines in two places on Route 119 came down. 鈥淚t was non-stop for two to three hours. It was literally one call after another last night.鈥�
鈥淲hen this rain stops and this storm moves out, we鈥檙e going to be in full flood recovery mode,鈥� he said.
He praised volunteer firefighters and auxiliary police as well as the city鈥檚 police department, who were out Sunday night and into today.
鈥淲e鈥檇 have a chaotic mess without them,鈥� Lincoln said.
City clerk/city manager Vern Ohler said at noon on Monday that although the city is still dealing with residential flooding and basic park flooding down by the Youghiogheny, there were positive signs that the worst may be behind them. At one point Monday morning, Ohler said his public works crew had noted that the river level had actually dropped a foot. However, a burst of intense rain and the water level rose again. That makes Ohler believe that once the rain tapers off and ends, the crews will be able to concentrate on helping residents recover from the flooding.
鈥滷or the most part, we dodged a bullet,鈥� said Ohler. 鈥淲e were on the brim of this being a really bad situation. I think we鈥檙e going to be fine.鈥�
Ohler couldn鈥檛 help that point out that the fact that the city is benefitting by lessons learned two years ago. Actually, Ohler said this well-forecasted gradual flooding situation was preferable to the unpredictable flash flooding that decimated parts of Connellsville in 2016.
鈥滱s of right now, things could be better. We are very lucky it wasn鈥檛 as bad as we thought looking at the forecast.鈥�
A swift water rescue team was sent to several people trapped in cars in Fayette City and one in Markleysburg, according to Fayette County Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Sue Griffith. No injuries were reported as of about 10 a.m. Monday. She said the Uniontown area was hit the hardest Sunday and the Fayette City area was hit the hardest Monday.
A large tree fell on 38 Cinder Road, South Union Township, at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, just after homeowner Ronald Nicholson stepped outside.
鈥淭hank God I wasn鈥檛 in there,鈥� he said, adding his wife, LuAnn Nicholson, was at work.
He owned the home for about 50 years. Many of their belongings were also damaged. He said they have insurance. He expects the property will be condemned.
In Perry Township, River and Wickhaven Hollow roads were closed at about 11:30 a.m. Monday, according to Perry Township Supervisor A.J. Boni. Businesses on Route 51, including B&B Family Diner and Sudsy鈥檚 Car Wash were experiencing flooding problems, he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a heck of a weekend, but we鈥檙e working through it,鈥� he said.
Flooding also affected numerous homes abutting Washington Run in Perryopolis and Perry Township.
Perryopolis resident Darlene Gearing said Monday鈥檚 flooding marks the third time this year that the backyard of her Cemetery Road residence has been underwater from the creek breaching its banks. Heavy rains and debris caused Washington Run to flood her property in February and May, as well.
Washington Run flows north from the junction of routes 51 and 201 through Perry Township before heading east through Perryopolis and eventually emptying into the Youghiogheny River. Excess water from the creek spilled over into adjacent properties in various spots throughout the area.
The NWS extended its flood warning to 5 p.m. Monday for Fayette, Greene, and parts of Westmoreland and Washington Counties.
鈥�(Residents) think just because it鈥檚 not raining now means we鈥檙e not having any problems. That鈥檚 not the case. The ground is saturated,鈥� she said.
Municipalities are closing and reopening roads as needed, she said. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation also closed roads in all four counties.
Officials with Fayette County鈥檚 Emergency Management Agency reported multiple road closures throughout the county due to flooding, debris and downed trees, warning motorists to leave extra time for commutes.
Flooding closed Westmoreland County Community College鈥檚 Fayette campus Monday, with a notice from the school that neither staff nor students should report. The campus is located in the Fayette County Community Action building in Uniontown.
The NWS listed rainfall totals of up to 5.53 inches in Connellsville and 4.5 inches in Uniontown.
Marianna in Washington County received almost 7 inches of rain, and North Charleroi and Donora each received just over 6 inches, according to NWS totals.
The NWS issued a flood warning for the Monongahela River near Charleroi, which will remain in effect until Tuesday morning.
The river is currently at 27.4 feet, and flood stage is 28 feet. NWS predicted the river will rise to nearly 28.3 feet by this afternoon, but fall below flood stage later in the day.
When the river reaches 28 feet, officials said backwater flooding will occur along Pigeon Creek in Monongahela from the intersection of Park Way and Park Avenue.
As of 12:30 p.m., WestPenn Power reported 1,341 customers without power in Fayette County, including 300 in Bullskin Township and 217 in Perry Township.
An additional 3,693 Westmoreland County customers have been impacted, including 667 in Mount Pleasant borough and township. The company reported 702 Greene County customers without power, the bulk of whom 鈥� 353 鈥� live in Morris Township.
Power is expected to be restored to the majority of customers by midnight Monday, according to West Penn Power spokesman Todd Meyers. Crews from other First Energy power companies are assisting in the restoration. He reminded residents to never touch a downed wire.
The rain prompted several area school districts to delay this morning, including Conn-Area, Connellsville Area, Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High and Frazier in Fayette County. Lincoln said Connellsville school officials are keeping a close eye on the Dawson area for flooding, as there is one way in and out of the area where a school bus would have to travel to drop off children.