BETHEL PARK, Pa. (AP) - Residents and business owners began cleaning up Thursday in the wake of a storm that dumped nearly four inches of rain on parts of western Pennsylvania, killing at least one and prompting scores of evacuations as powerful floodwaters carried off cars and damaged buildings.
A woman was swept away by the floodwaters Wednesday, and police said her body was found in McLaughlin Run near the Bridgeville Fire Department, about 13 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, according to the Observer-Reporter. Her name wasn’t immediately released.
Video posted on social media showed cars floating down flooded streets , while swift-water rescue teams in Allegheny County took part in at least 66 rescues. Emergency crews in Westmoreland County rescued residents from about 30 houses, including a couple from their roof.
Diners at the Trolley Stop Inn in hard-hit Bethel Park, about 10 miles south of Pittsburgh, stood on tables as they awaited rescue.
“All of a sudden, water started coming in the one door and they tried to squeegee it,” patron Shirley Maurin told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “And then it just rushed in.”
She said the water rose quickly, forcing diners on top of tables “until they were able to come in and take us out one by one in the water with the life jackets.”
A day later, volunteers helped clear debris from the Trolley Stop, whose owner said he didn’t have flood insurance. Outside the building, a car’s back end balanced precariously atop a chair.
Officials in Bethel Park and neighboring Upper St. Clair declared states of emergency.
The floodwaters damaged an unknown number of homes and businesses, smashing windows and leaving a muddy mess. The flooding also disrupted rail service in the region and forced the cancellation of the Pittsburgh Pirates game amid flooding in portions of PNC Park.
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