Flash flooding forces residents from homes; cleanup underway
Kevin McCurdy returned to his mobile home early Saturday and took stock of the aftermath from flooding the night before.
“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” said McCurdy, who has lived on Forest Avenue in the village of Dorothy, just south of Latrobe, for 17 years. “The water was up over the porch, and it got in the heating ductwork.
“We’ve had water come up before, but it never made it this far.”
McCurdy was among numerous residents in Westmoreland County — and beyond — who got to work Saturday morning putting their lives back together after torrential rain and rising waters inundated homes.
McCurdy, his wife and their five cats evacuated Friday night to a nearby high point on Devereux Drive, where firefighters were staged.
He estimated it was sometime after 9 p.m. when his wife woke him with news about the flooding.
He said the high water ruined several of the family’s vehicles and a refrigerator full of food.
A slow-moving storm system dumped between 1 and 2 inches of rain on parts of Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, causing flash flooding and evacuations in multiple neighborhoods.
The Red Cross assisted residents who were displaced from more than 50 homes in the Latrobe area because of the flooding.
The village of Dorothy was among the hardest-hit areas. There, 17 people and a number of pets who evacuated the village in boats were given temporary shelter at the Lloydsville fire station before being housed at a New Stanton hotel by the Red Cross.
Unity Township emergency management coordinator Tom Schultheis noted, “All the local hotels are tied up with Steelers training camp,” which is underway at Saint Vincent College in Unity.
At least eight water rescue teams from four counties responded to help with evacuations, Schultheis said. The Westmoreland County Transit Authority bused four of the evacuees to New Stanton.
As township crews arrived with heavy equipment to remove debris, Joseph McClelland of Derry Township was at work pumping water from the basement of his sister’s house. His sister wasn’t home at the time of the flooding, but a nephew and three dogs were rescued by boat, he said.
Water rose into the first floor of the home.
“I’ve never seen a refrigerator float before,” McClelland said.
He noted firefighters have “been here enough times pumping this basement. The water table here is terrible to begin with.”
An odor of heating oil still lingered. McClelland said most homes in the village use oil for heating.
“Last night, you could see it floating on the water,” he said.
In the Unity village of Pleasant Unity, people were evacuated from the Naser Foods supermarket, which had extensive flooding damage, Schultheis said.
Heavy flooding caused temporary closures on White School Road and Marguerite Lake Road and near the intersection of Route 30 and Beatty County Road, he said.
According to National Weather Service meteorologist Myranda Fullerton, the Latrobe area received the heaviest rainfall reported in Westmoreland County, 1.57 inches. Other rainfall reports from the county included Jeannette, 1.42 inches; Youngstown, 1.13 inches; and Greensburg, 1.11 inches.
In Allegheny County, Aspinwall reported 3.15 inches of rain; the Braddock Lock and Dam 2.05 inches; the Allegheny County Airport 1.33 inches; and Monroeville 1.11 inches.
The National Weather Service has forecast a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms Sunday. Additional rainfall is not expected to exceed one-tenth of an inch but could be higher in areas that experience thunderstorms.
Showers and then eventually storms look promising again today as we remain in this unfortunate weather pattern. Make sure to stay weather aware for isolated flooding issues, as that will likely be our main threat this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/XbWcYqj43D
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) August 6, 2022
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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