Washington and surrounding areas hit with flooding
Pigeon Creek flooding rose to the base of the Stogletown Bridge Saturday in Monongahela.
The soccer field along Park Avenue in Monongahela turned into a pond Saturday because of Pigeon Creek flooding.
A flooded underpass in Lawrence.
A flooded house in Lawrence.
Kim McAvoy took this photo of a submerged Houston ballfield Saturday.
Lisa Lindow submitted this photo of Chartiers Park Saturday.
The dirt track and stage at the Washington County Fairgrounds grandstand
The dirt track and stage at the Washington County Fairgrounds grandstand Saturday
A street flooded in Lawrence Saturday.
Flooding in Lawrence
Alisha Dulaney submitted this photo of West Chestnut in Washington Saturday.
Flooding in Lawrence from Saturday morning.
James Myers submitted this photo of 481 in Monongahela.
A tree fell onto a bathroom shelter in Mingo Creek County Park Saturday.
A very wet playground in Mingo Creek County Park
Workers were busy clearing trees and debris in Mingo Creek County Park. This road was closed due to flooding and debris.
Galley Road in North Strabane Saturday morning
The American Red Cross set up an emergency shelter Saturday at New Eagle Volunteer Fire Department Social Hall after overnight flooding forced people from their homes.
Part of the new Monongahela kayak launch is tangled among debris at the aquatorium as the Monongahela River rose rapidly from heavy rains.
Amanda Stoner took this photo of Lindenwood Golf Course in North Strabane Township.
Elaine Romano has lived in her Houston Street home in Washington her entire life – 81 years – and she’s never seen flooding this bad.
“It looked like a rushing river,” she said. “I live alone, and I was so scared. The rain came down so hard.”
Romano wasn’t the only resident in that area afraid for her safety Friday night and early Saturday, as floodwater from Catfish Creek filled their basements. Ashley Johnson, an Elm Street resident, said this was the worst flooding she’s seen in seven years.
“Last night, I was scared, and I don’t usually get scared when it floods,” she said.
Washington Mayor Scott Putnam said he did not declare a state of emergency, but was working with the city’s fire and police agencies to get a “condition assessment” on areas with the most flooding.
Washington wasn’t alone, as several parts of Washington County saw 2 to 5 inches of rain from Friday into Saturday morning, including Finleyville, Monongahela, Marianna and Nottingham Township. Greene County also had flooding in the Waynesburg, West Greene and Brave areas.
Donora Volunteer Fire Company posted on Facebook they used two boats to rescue Finleyville residents trapped in a mobile home park off Ginger Hill Road, near Mingo Creek. The post said they responded at 2:40 a.m. as mutual aid to Valley Inn Fire Department and used a “swift water rescue team” to reach about nine residents trapped in their homes.
The post said, with the help of several other emergency response agencies, they were able to get the residents to safety. Neither the Donora nor the Valley Inn fire departments could be reached for comment.
Mingo Creek County Park also was hit by flooding and at 7:30 a.m. Shelter 2 was completely submerged. Maintenance crews are clearing fallen trees and debris.
Volunteers with the Red Cross of Southwestern Pennsylvania were in several locations near Washington and Finleyville Saturday morning offering residents supplies and clean-up equipment like mops and bleach.
Dan Tobin, director of marketing and communication for the Red Cross, said 10 people sought shelter Saturday at the New Eagle Volunteer Fire Department social hall. Eight of them had returned home by that afternoon.
Walt Jennings, a Red Cross volunteer who was organizing clean-up efforts, said in Washington, Houston Street was hit the hardest. Linn Brookman, Washington fire chief, said they received over 100 calls throughout the night for basements that were flooded with up to seven feet of water.
Constance Kelley, who’s lived on Houston Street for 38 years, said she had a couple feet of water in her basement and she could hear it “whooshing.”
“I’m on disability, and I can’t get down there to see if the furnace or hot water tank is OK,” she said. “I’m just putting it in God’s hands and hoping everything is OK.”
Other areas that flooded were the Washington County Fairgrounds, which had water pooled in the dirt track in front of the grandstand, as well as a parking lot across the street. Lindenwood Golf Club had about two feet of rushing water going over some of the greens Saturday morning.
The Washington Park pool once again flooded with muddy water after it had to be drained from similar flooding last month.
The National Weather Service is forecasting dry conditions today, with temperatures in the 70s, which may help dry some of the flooded areas.