Severe weather causes flooding, damage throughout area

PITTSBURGH — The severe weather that moved through the Channel 11 viewing area Tuesday afternoon and night left behind damage in several areas.

In West View, parts of Perry Highway had to be closed near Center Avenue after a sinkhole opened up.

The giant sinkhole opened up during the storm and is about 25 feet wide and 20 feet deep.

At the intersection where the street opened up, a sewer line and 100-year-old storm culvert had been being repaired for the past two weeks.

“We were doing some permanent repairs to the culvert yesterday, and the rain storm hit and, as a result, it basically washed out everything we had done prior,” said Bob Zischkau, West View Borough engineer.

In light of the sinkhole, a gas line was shut off and a week-old business was forced to close.

Crews used machinery to dig out the sinkhole, which will be filled once all lines are examined. A detour has been established while the road is closed.

“With the way this project has gone, I would anticipate a day or two before we are back up and running,” said Zischkau.

Chopper 11 also flew over storm damage in Hampton Township. A mudslide snarled traffic on Harts Run Road for about three hours while crews worked to clear the debris.

Meanwhile, the heavy rainfall triggered flash flooding in several areas, including New Kensington.

Advantage Auto Dealership General Manager Ryan Long said the parking lot of his car dealership is known to flood during a heavy storm.

Long said a Jeep washed away during the storm and had to be pulled out of a nearby ditch. He said the car was under about 2 1/2 feet of water in less than a few minutes.

The inside of the car, which belonged to an employee, was completely ruined after it “got so bad that he couldn’t get in and he said, ‘I think the car just moved,’” Long said. “I walked out to see if it was OK and it went about 14 feet into a wall.”

No major injuries were reported Tuesday.

WPXI