Six W. Pa. counties clean up from floods
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APOLLO (AP) – Parts of six counties were cleaning up Thursday after a storm swept through Western Pennsylvania, dumping 2 to 3 inches of rain on most areas and causing flash floods that inundated highways and swamped some businesses, homes and basements.
The cleanup followed rains that began early Wednesday afternoon in Crawford County in northwestern Pennsylvania and moved southeast to Fayette and Somerset counties, which border West Virginia and Maryland.
In between, Chicora in Butler County, Apollo and Kiski Township in Armstrong County, Bullskin Township in Fayette County, and Loyalhanna Township in Westmoreland County reported flooding, among other areas.
Michelle and Brian Gallagher of Loyalhanna watched as water from the Conemaugh River and a swollen creek engulfed their wooded property. The water carried logs onto their land, moved a camper, tore the skirting from their mobile home and swept away some kayaks.
Brian Gallagher, who runs a kayak business, said the water was so deep, “I watched a Jet Ski go by.”
There were no reports of injuries, but Route 68 in Butler County, Route 66 in Armstrong County and Routes 119 and 711 in Fayette County were closed at times Wednesday by rushing waters that temporarily trapped some motorists.
Officials in Boswell, a Somerset County borough about 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, were blaming their woes as much on state regulators as the heavy rain.
Boswell Water Authority official Tony Deluca said the borough didn’t used to flood, back when a reservoir and dam sitting in the woods above the town was still there. But Deluca said Department of Environmental Protection officials were concerned about the dam breaking and flooding the borough, so they threatened a $10,000 fine, plus $500 more per day. As a result, the town breached the dam last year, and now the runoff that used to collect in the reservoir is causing flash floods, Deluca said.
A DEP spokesperson said the dam wasn’t designed for flood control and was in disrepair. DEP officials planned to visit the borough Thursday and issue cleanup permits.