Police and firefighters, backed by swiftwater rescue crews, responded Wednesday night to numerous reports of trapped vehicles and other emergencies as rising water from torrential downpours throughout the region created havoc, sparking states of emergency in Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair.
No injuries were reported as of 10 p.m., though 911 centers and emergency crews were scrambling to keep up with calls for assistance.
The flash flooding that intensified after 9 p.m. accompanied the latest in a series of storms that moved through Western Pennsylvania during the afternoon and evening, impacting such major thoroughfares as Banksville Road at Potomac Avenue near the Dormont-Pittsburgh line and the streets near South Hills Village in Upper St. Clair.
#BREAKING: INCREDIBLE VIDEO! Major flooding from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania south of #Pittsburgh. This is outside the Trolley Stop Inn restaurant where customers were stranded on tables earlier. https://t.co/iiBJ0Ekro4 Video: Mike Coates #pawx pic.twitter.com/HLyvuZSBet
— Tim Williams (@realtimwilliams) June 21, 2018
Officials also were reporting flooding in several spots in Westmoreland and Fayette counties. In Westmoreland, the hardest hit areas appeared to be Ligonier and Donegal.
Port Authority of Allegheny County reported just before 10:30 p.m. that all rail service had been suspended due to flooding. "We are working to get shuttle buses in service as quickly as possible,'' the agency said.
Service on the Blue Line was shut down for Thursday morning’s rush-hour commute and shuttle buses will operate.
Early Wednesday night, the Red Line and Blue Line to South Hills Village were reported running but were being detoured via Allentown, the Port Authority said. The agency reported no service after Washington Junction toward Library because of extreme flooding in the area. The Mount Washington Tunnel was blocked by debris from the flooding.
Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph said among the issues impacting rail service was a mudslide at the south end of the Mount Washington transit tunnel and an energy tower problem that caused crews to de-energize the entire rail system in the city.
Some passengers were stranded when rail service was forced to stop, but shuttles were arranged to take them to their destinations, Mr. Brandolph said.
The National Weather Service said up to 2 inches of rain had fallen in the region by 9:20 p.m., with an additional quarter inch expected.
The Pittsburgh Pirates game against the Brewers was rained out and portions of PNC Park flooded.
Areas south of the Pittsburgh appeared to be particularly hard hit, said Amie Downs, spokeswoman for Allegheny County, which activated its emergency operations center.
“The South Hills in general has been hit very hard, but absolutely Bethel Park seems to be where the most damage is and and they indeed have declared a state of emergency,” she said.
#BREAKING: Major flooding in #Pittsburgh, this is the scene along Banksville Road. pic.twitter.com/PfsNqKvGIb
— Tim Williams (@realtimwilliams) June 21, 2018
“We still have vehicles stuck in the water and individuals requiring rescue because they attempted to drive through the water,” Ms. Downs said. “Swiftwater teams are engaged in response throughout the South Hills, and support is also being provided from neighboring Washington County.”
Deputy Chief Steve Imbarlina, of county emergency services, said there were at least 66 rescues.
Photos and videos circulating on social media showed patrons at the Trolley Stop Inn on Route 88 in Bethel Park standing on tables as water filled the restaurant. In the parking lot outside the establishment, vehicles were swept away from the building by rising flood waters.
#BREAKING: Customers now standing on tables waiting to be rescued due to major flooding at the Trolley Stop Inn restaurant in Bethel Park, PA outside of #Pittsburgh. #PaWX pic.twitter.com/Cmm2WLRqre
— Tim Williams (@realtimwilliams) June 21, 2018
Shirley Maurin and her fiance John Secrist, both of Finleyville, had just sat placed their dinner order at the Trolley Stop Inn when water came pouring in.
"All of a sudden, water started coming in the one door and they tried to squeegee it." Ms. Maurin said. "And then it just rushed in."
She said that it only took a minute or two for the water to reach the point where patrons were forced to jump on top of tables.
"Finally they broke the back door, and that seemed to alleviate [the problem]," Ms. Maurin said. "The water was going out the back door, and the water was settling, it wasn’t coming up any higher. And then we just had to wait until they were able to come in and take us out one by one in the water with the life jackets."
Traffic on police and fire scanners indicated that Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon, Bridgeville, Castle Shannon, South Park and West Mifflin also were hit hard. Cars were trapped in water that in spots was reported up to 3 feet deep.
In Bethel Park, police warned residents not to drive until flooding on the roadways had subsided and to seek shelter on higher floors or elevated locations if their homes were threatened. The department also asked residents to refrain from calling 911 unless they had a life-threatening emergency.
Nice #Pittsburgh storm flooding our basement right now in Bethel Park pic.twitter.com/nbIhX5UaL4
— Brandon Armet (@barmet55) June 21, 2018
The storm flooded a number of roads including Route 88 at Kings School Road, Clifton Road, Brightwood Road and Milford Drive. The road was buckling at the intersection of Route 88 and Beagle Drive. A vehicle was trapped in rising water at Route 88’s intersection with Clifton Road.
Elsewhere, authorities closed Saw Mill Run Boulevard between Interstate 376 and Bausman Street in Pittsburgh due to flooding.
Vehicles were caught in high water in the 3000 block of Banksville Road.
Authorities were notified of a possible building collapse at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Harriet Street in Rankin.
Six cars became trapped in rising water in the 1000 block of Washington Avenue in Scott.
At Glendale Drive and Logan Road in Bethel Park, a vehicle was reported to be floating in the roadway, Ms. Downs said.
#BREAKING: This is the scene along Route 51 and 88 in #Pittsburgh's Overbrook area. Streets are now rivers, one person stuck on top of his car waiting to be rescued. Video: Stephanie Chiappini #pawx pic.twitter.com/v3uithsvR8
— Tim Williams (@realtimwilliams) June 21, 2018
In the 2400 block of Lebanon Church Road in West Mifflin, there was a report of four vehicles trapped, though the occupants were reported to be out of their vehicles.
Swiftwater rescue teams are made up of members from multiple emergency agencies, often fire departments, that use a variety watercraft to respond to emergencies when people are trapped in or swept away by water.
Ligonier police Chief Mike Matrunics said Loyalhanna Creek overflowed its banks in several areas, flooding roads and homes.
Chief Matrunics said 11 boat teams from Westmoreland County and elsewhere were assisting with water rescues. About 15 to 20 people as well as their pets had to be rescued from homes along Boucher Lane and Longbridge Road, he said.
Several people were taken to hospitals for treatment, but they weren't serioulsy injured, Chief Matrunics said. A news reporter fell in a ditch but was OK, the chief said.
Rececca Lessner contributed. Bill Schackner: bschackner@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1977 and on Twittter: @Bschackner. Andrew Goldstein: agoldstein@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1352
First Published: June 20, 2018, 8:23 p.m.
Updated: June 21, 2018, 4:31 a.m.
