Flash Flooding Forces Road Closures, Causes Damage Across Region
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Flash flooding forced road closures and caused damage across the region Monday afternoon.
Severe thunderstorms began moving through the area around 5 p.m., and reports of flooding began coming in as the evening went on.
O'Hara Township and Fox Chapel were two of the hardest hit communities, where people had to be rescued from flooded roads and homes.
Route 28 was also shut down in both directions for a few hours due to a rockslide and flooding.
Flood waters sent chunks of asphalt, mud and debris onto Delafield Road in O'Hara Township.
Watch Amy Wadas's report --
On Fox Chapel Road, quickly rising waters broke through the garage doors of a home and some residents were evacuated.
I've never seen the water come up this fast! It's crazy! This house only had a little bit a water 10 minutes ago. Fox Chapel Road is closed due to a flash flood breaking news pic.twitter.com/yaIVTOPErC
— k00nix (@K00NIX) July 3, 2018
"The water came over the road, and then water joined with that from back behind our house and before we knew it, our house was in the middle of the street. Less than ten minutes for the water coming across the street and from behind our house to join so our house was in the middle of the flowing water," David Rike said.
Watch Ralph Iannotti's report --
Some vehicles along Squaw Run Road were trapped and drivers and passengers needed to be extricated and rescued. Foxwall EMS commander Joshua Worth says they were assisted by the Allegheny County Swift Water Rescue team.
Multiple homes, the Fox Chapel Field Club, Fox Chapel Golf Club and Fox Chapel Racquet Club all sustained damage.
"[The rain] lasted for about an hour and a half, but it was very strong, the water rose very quickly and kind of caught everybody off guard. But everybody was able to luckily handle it and get out safely," Worth said. "We do see the creek rise often when we have rain issues and when we have water flow issues, but this is the worst I've seen this year so far."
Earlier in the evening, Zelienople got pounded with rain, sparking flooding on Main Street. Officials said water was about three feet high before it receded.
On Washington Boulevard in Pittsburgh, the floodgates were activated and extra barricades were set up.
