South Strabane residents cleaning up after sudden, severe round of flooding
What started as a sudden and severe round of flooding in Washington County has now turned into a major cleanup effort, especially in South Strabane Township.
Floodwaters swept through neighborhoods late Saturday, trapping people inside homes and vehicles. Emergency crews worked through the night responding to calls for help. One area seeing damage is right off of Oak Spring Road, where a sinkhole grew, overtaking the road.
"It's unlike anything I've ever seen in my life," said Serina Miller. "That's for sure."
South Strabane's emergency services building didn't escape the damage either.
"We've never seen anything like this," said Chief Jordan Cramer of Fire and Emergency Services. "Honestly, I didn't think it could flood like this here. We had people trapped in vehicles, trapped in homes, [and] a lot of basements were completely flooded."
The department's social hall and parking lot were also impacted.
"We're standing on a 72-inch culvert that we know has shifted," Cramer said. "The parking lot is sinking, and we've already lost about 80 parking spaces."
Outside, residents are left dealing with extensive property damage, including flooded basements, washed-out driveways, and debris yards. All of it made worse by hot, humid temperatures and the threat of more rain on the way.
Gary Casper, who lives at the corner of Quarry and Lakeview Drive, showed KDKA-TV the damage to his home.
"If you look at the driveway, you'll see it's totally blown away," he said. "I've been here 15 or 20 years, and I've never seen water in the basement like that before. It was up a couple of feet."
Residents with flood damage are encouraged to complete a damage assessment form.
To be added to for fire/emergency management to assess your residence, you can call the non-emergency line at (724) 222-3885.
For anyone who experienced property damage and would like to report it to the emergency management team for a damage assessment so that it's contained in the municipal totals that are submitted to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, call (724) 222-3885.
