Allegheny County Officials Report No Deaths Or Injuries From Remnants Of Ida, But Leaders Say It's Not Over Yet
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's not over yet. That's the word from Allegheny County leaders on Wednesday.
With the rains coming to an end, it's easy to think that Hurricane Ida is history in this region, but that's not what Allegheny County leaders want you to think right now.
"The good news is that we've had no loss of life and no serious injuries to date. But we want people to be very, very careful and vigilant because even though the rain has slowed down – it was still raining as I came out from town – the rivers are still rising, the creeks are still rising," Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said.
"The rivers are still going to rise quickly," added Chief Matthew Brown, head of the county's Emergency Services. "They are still going to hit action stages and maybe low to moderate flood stages. They're also going to drop quickly. So any traffic on the river — boat owners, docks, barge activity — we've really got to watch that over the next 24 to 36 hours."
Brown also noted the growing number of communities seeking disaster declarations.
"We have three municipalities that have put in disaster declarations — Bridgeville, Millvale, and Scott Township — a few others that are considering it or drafting for that," Brown said.
As water damage continues in municipalities throughout the region, which could get worse as rivers crest on Wednesday and Thursday, more communities are expected to seek a disaster declaration.
