Several homes along Shady Avenue in Munhall were flooded after a brief but heavy downpour Friday, forcing some residents to evacuate their homes with whatever valuables they could grab.

“I didn’t think that it was going to come in like that,” said Robert Horvwalt, whose rented home on Shady Avenue was inundated. “When the water came, it came — and it just kept coming.” 

Ed Pletsch, chief of the Munhall Volunteer Fire Department, said at least 10 homes on Shady Avenue and another 15 elsewhere in the borough were flooded.

“It’s more flooding than we traditionally see,” he said. “A lot of times people call us to pump out six inches of water. These houses, for example, had five feet of water in their basement.” 

Swaths of southwestern Pennsylvania were under a flood warning or watch on Friday afternoon as scattered thunderstorms moved across the Upper Ohio Valley. According to the National Weather Service, the region saw one to three inches of rain, with much of it falling quickly shortly after rush hour. Areas from Wilkinsburg to Buena Vista were under a flash flood warning until 9:45 p.m. 

Pockets of Allegheny County felt the effects of the flooding. Along Route 28, a large tree fell between Exit 6 and Exit 8, blocking all lanes of traffic. In Aspinwall, motorists were trapped in floodwaters along Freeport Road and had to be rescued. 

Flooding also was reported in the 2400 block of Lebanon Church Road and in the 400 block of Saintwood Drive in West Mifflin. In Duquesne, vehicles were reported to be stuck in floodwaters near the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge. 

PennDOT reported late Friday that there was flooding on PA 885 northbound between Mifflin Road and Glass Run Road and that all lanes were closed. PA 885 southbound, roads were closed Doerrville Avenue, Hillburn Street, and Mifflin Road.

In Munhall, Mr. Horvwalt said he and another tenant made a frantic attempt to channel the water out of their basement and garage areas. As water gushed in, the two grabbed electronics and whatever else they could, but some items, including family photographs, were ruined.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Mr. Horvwalt said. “We’ve had water come in and it flooded a little bit, but not that much.” 

According to Mr. Pletsch, no Shady Avenue residents were harmed, though the flooding posed a danger to homeowners because high water can affect electrical systems and gas furnaces, causing fires. 

By 9 p.m., fire crews had pumped much of the water out of the affected homes, Mr. Pletsch said. 

The chief added that borough emergency management officials were attempting to locate temporary housing for displaced residents for the evening and possibly the weekend.

“We’re overloaded, but we’re handling it,” Mr. Pletsch said. “The entire valley’s like that.” 

The heavy rain Friday also caused so many problems at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium that the zoo will be closed on Saturday.

And Duquesne Light was trying to restore power to about 2,000 customers throughout the region, the utility said on its website.

First Published: August 6, 2022, 2:26 a.m.
Updated: August 6, 2022, 12:19 p.m.