6 people rescued in flooded cars in water rescues in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
Six people were saved from their cars during a water rescue in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, Wednesday night as severe weather moved through the Philadelphia region. One of the rescues happened in the area of Ring Road in Chadds Ford, Delaware County.
The damage is clear, one day after torrential rain swamped roads in Chadds Ford and Thornbury Township.
Concordville firefighters responded to multiple calls for help. Flood waters subsided Thursday morning.
Deputy Chief Tom Nauss said six people had to be rescued from stranded vehicles, including two children.
"It was a female and two children. They were driving down one of the back roads of Concord Township and apparently they came across one of the roads beginning to flood and apparently were not able to make it any further and the vehicle stalled," Nauss said.
Nauss said his team trains regularly for this kind of emergency as firefighters guided the family to safety on foot, while an inflatable raft was used in another rescue.
Joe O'Leary, the EMS captain with the Concordville Fire & Association, said crews were dispatched to the area in Chadds Ford for the report of multiple vehicles stuck in the water.
O'Leary said they were able to get them out of their vehicles uninjured. The two vehicles were totaled, according to O'Leary.
"In addition to water rescue discipline, we also have firefighting responsibilities and training as well as other rescue disciplines that we participate in," he said. "We talk about situational awareness all the time in emergency services and the motoring public also has to be aware of their surroundings."
The road travels over a tributary of the Brandywine Creek, which crested nearly 4 feet above its normal water level around 8 a.m. Thursday, due to all the flood water and rain runoff from this week.
O'Leary said they had multiple weather-related calls Wednesday night, but no reports of injuries.
Remember, don't drive through flooded roads. It only takes a few inches of water to float a car. And if you can't see the road, the water may be deeper than you think — there's even a chance the road could have buckled or washed away under the water.
