A southern Pennsylvania road was overcome by a flash flood over the weekend, with waters that killed four and left three others missing, including a baby and a 2-year-old girl, according to authorities.
Torrential rainstorms began in the Washington Crossing area of Upper Makefield Township around 5:30 p.m. Saturday and reportedly received about seven inches of precipitation in just 45 minutes, according to Fire Chief Tim Brewer.
“In my 44 years, I’ve never seen anything like it,” he told reporters. “When the water came up, it came up very swiftly. We do not think that anybody drove into it, that they were actively on that road when it happened.”
Brewer said that three of the 11 cars driving on the road were swept away in the water, which reached up to 5 feet high.
As of midday Sunday, four bodies had been recovered and those missing included a woman and the two children.
The fire chief declined to comment on the relationships of the victims but said that “one family has been severely affected.”
Ten people total were rescued, eight from cars and two from a nearby creek. Hundreds of people assisted with the rescue and search efforts along the creek through Sunday morning.
“We are treating this as a rescue but we are fairly certain we are in a recovery mode at this time,” Brewer said.
The heavy rain continued in other areas along the East Coast, with hundreds of flights in New York and New Jersey being canceled and authorities warning of potential landslides in Vermont.
“My team and I continue to monitor the situation as more rain falls in Vermont. There are flash flood warnings throughout the state today. Remain vigilant and be prepared,” said New Jersey Gov. Phil Scott.
Over 300 flights at Newark Liberty Airport and over 200 at Kennedy International Airport in New York were canceled Sunday, according to the website FlightAware.com.
Additional flash flood warnings and tornado advisories were issued for regions of Connecticut, western Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, the National Weather Service announced.