PITTSBURGH, PA — City crews and first responders worked through the night after a severe storm brought flash flooding, downed trees and wires, traffic-signal outages and widespread power disruptions across Pittsburgh.
The City said some neighborhoods received more than 2.5 inches of rain in less than an hour Thursday, with winds reaching 70 mph. The National Weather Service reported 2.6 to 4 inches of rain across the region, including 3.2 inches measured at the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland. Officials described the storm as equivalent to a 1-in-100-year event.
No storm-related injuries or hospital transports were reported, according to the City, although Pittsburgh EMS handled more than 60 calls. Fire and EMS swift-water teams assisted dozens of stranded motorists, including occupants of nearly 30 vehicles trapped along the Saw Mill Run Boulevard/Route 51 corridor.
Responders also rescued a UPS driver from a flooded Beechwood Boulevard underpass, assisted people trapped in vehicles near Technology Drive and Bates Street, and helped an individual out of a car on Northumberland Street. Fire Boat 1 secured the crew and occupants of a disabled vessel and towed it to a marina.
Duquesne Light reported that more than 18,000 customers remained without power after about 60,000 lost service during the storm. The City warned that intersections with flashing or dark traffic signals should be treated as four-way stops.
With additional storms anticipated, officials urged residents not to drive or walk into floodwater, to avoid flood-prone roads, obey barriers and report downed power lines, trees, flooded areas and emergencies to 911.
Historical representative file photo: Flooding on Pittsburgh’s 10th Street Bypass. Photo by John Marino via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Source: City of Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Times
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Pittsburgh, PA
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