State Of Emergency Declared In O'Hara Twp. In Wake Of Strong Storms
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – As daylight broke Tuesday morning, residents were getting a better look at damage caused by the most recent round of severe storms.
Severe thunderstorms began moving through the area around 5 p.m. Monday, 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.
O'Hara Township has now declared a state of emergency.
Mud now blankets several businesses along Old Freeport Road. A parking lot also buckled due to a creek running under it. As a result, asphalt was lifted and floated onto the roadway.
Rick Bednas said he hasn't seen it this bad in 30 years
"This is the worst I've seen and we've had floods before that come up to the door, but nothing like this," Bednas said. "What can you say? It happens. Mother Nature, today. That's all you can really say and just a lot of cleanup."
A KDKA viewer captured video of a small creek growing to a gushing river.
"Oh it's pretty amazing. I mean, we could see the creek it was just coming up like this huge fountain," Deb Branton said.
Heavy machinery arrived early Tuesday as business owners first saw the damage in the daylight.
On Fox Chapel Road, quickly rising waters broke through the garage doors of a home and some residents were evacuated.
Watch John Shumway's report --
Paul Chambers, owner of Nancetta's restaurant, was directing the redistribution of his parking lot's asphalt.
"I've seen water do amazing things," he said.
His restaurant was spared the worst because he saw the water coming.
"It started happening, we bagged the doors and we're OK," he said. "We'll be open today. Tell them to all come eat."
Karen Tippins' son was home alone when the onslaught came on South Margery Drive in O'Hara.
"He heard a loud boom and he said the water was rushing down the driveway and broke the garage open," Tippins said.
Once inside, the water victimized everything.
"Electrical panel, we lost a car, we lost a washer and dryer, Everything in the basement, the heater, the cooling," she said. "[But] it's alright. God is good."
Watch Amy Wadas's report --
Seth Bowman was one of a few members of the Fox Chapel high school football team helping his friend's family out.
"Digging, carrying wheel barrels helping pull out stuff in the basement," Bowman said.
"It's never been this bad even when Ivan came through," Maria Vlahos said.
Maria Vlahos has lived at her home for 19 years. She said they lost everything in the basement. The same with her dad's house next door.
"The water was up to the rafters. Probably a foot of mud at least," Vlahos said. "The water just came rushing. In a matter of maybe five minutes it was two feet in the backyard and then up almost 20 feet."
Across the street, it's just as bad for Antonio Fratangelo.
"I went into the basement, got a couple things out. I went down for second run and doors busted open and kinda trapped me for a few seconds," Fratangelo said.
What he was mostly concerned about was getting all three of his kids, age three and under, to safety.
"It was key to get them all in the right place," Fratangelo said.
The township manager said nearby Squaw Valley Park was also destroyed. All roads are back open. The township provided dumpsters to its residents in hardest hit areas.
Preliminary damage assessments have been sent to Allegheny County.
A GoFundMe account has been set up for folks on South Margery Drive because they say they desperately need help. Click here to donate.
