Severe flooding in Pennsylvania on Saturday left at least four people dead and three people missing Sunday morning.
At a news conference Sunday morning, Fire Chief Tim Brewer of Upper Makefield, Bucks County, said 11 vehicles were trapped by rising water on flooded Washington Crossing Road Saturday afternoon.
“After a while there was a flash flood,” Mr. Brewer said. “We believe approximately 11 cars were on the road. Three people were confirmed swept away.
Eight people were rescued from the cars, and two others were rescued from Hux Creek, he said.
“We currently have three confirmed deaths and four people missing,” he added. “We consider this a recovery, but we strongly believe we are in recovery mode at this point.”
With a population of less than 5,000, Washington Crossing attracts tourists year-round. The area north of Philadelphia is where George Washington crossed the Delaware River into New Jersey in December 1776 for a pivotal Revolutionary War battle.
The flooding, which began around 5 p.m. Saturday, quickly overwhelmed storm drains, creeks and streams.
An estimated six to seven inches of rain fell within 45 minutes, Mr. Brewer said.
“In my 44 years, I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. “When the water came up, it came up really fast.”
Route 29 in New Jersey flooded after parts of the Delaware Canal, part of the 60-mile parkway that runs along the river in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, spilled over its banks.
Mr. Trump said he always thought Hurricane Ida, a deadliest hurricane in 2021, was a “sign” for severe weather in the area. Brewer said Sunday.
“This is the new benchmark,” he said.
Refusing to divulge details of the dead, he confirmed that two of the victims were women and one was a man.
On Sunday, the local police department said Its search efforts will continue, with three or four people “still unaccounted for”.
Another body was recovered from the creek shortly before 11 a.m. on Sunday, Mr. Brewer said. Emergency workers were still searching for two other children from the same family, a 9-month-old boy and a 2-year-old girl, and a female adult.
Rain is not yet available with the National Weather Service Reporting Heavy rain and flash flooding “remains a concern” in southeastern Pennsylvania Sunday morning. And rain and storms are expected to continue throughout the day. A flash flood A warning has been in force in several districts since Sunday morning.
Michael Adler, an attorney who lives in Holland Township, said he was walking home after dinner with his family on Saturday when the flash flood hit.
“I’ve never seen roads flood so quickly,” said Mr. Adler said in a telephone interview. “It happened so quickly. It was like six inches of rain in 20 minutes.
Mr. Adler said he drove home cautiously, and fortunately, the water was not as deep as the five feet reported in parts of Upper Makefield Township in his area of Bucks County, so the family made it home safely.
As of Sunday afternoon, Holland Township was still receiving heavy rain.
“We get all these alerts on our phones,” Mr. Adler said. “Where we are now, we’re not near creeks, but I know there’s a lot of creeks and underground creeks in this area, so everybody’s a little worried.”
Heavy rain and flooding is also expected in parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts on Sunday. There was a hurricane and flood watch In practice “Severe thunderstorms” and “heavy rain” for parts of Connecticut expected.
Thunderstorms hit New Jersey and New York on Sunday, disrupting flights Newark Liberty International Airport And Kennedy International Airport. In Maryland, Officials said “Life-threatening flash flooding” is expected on Sunday.
The new flooding comes just days after a two-day, record-breaking storm ravaged parts of Vermont and upstate New York last week, damaging thousands of homes and businesses and causing at least one death in each state.
Experts say storms, fires and floods are becoming more frequent and severe as a result of a warming climate. Warmer temperatures allow the air to hold more moisture, leading to more intense rain and flooding.
