Threat for flooding continues along Monongahela River

UPDATE: 10:55 p.m. 

A flood warning remains in effect for Fayette, Green and Washington counties. A Channel 11 News crew found high rushing water along the Monongahela River on Saturday night.

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Forecasters expect the river to rise above flood stage in the southern counties early Sunday. The river was spilling over its banks in some areas, including Rices Landing in Greene County, Saturday evening.

PHOTOS: Flood flooding in parts of western Pennsylvania

UPDATE: 10:15 p.m. 

Washington County 911 says a boat came off the dock on the Monongahela River near Second and Railroad streets. Four people were safely rescued.

UPDATE: 6:19 p.m. 

Severe Weather Team 11 Meteorologist Kevin Benson said there is a forecast for flooding on the Monongahela River near Braddock, Elizabeth, Monessen, Charleroi and surrounding areas through early Sunday.

VIDEO: Threat for flooding continues along Monongahela River

ORIGINAL STORY: 

Water rescues and evacuations continued Saturday morning in our area. Chief Meteorologist Stephen Cropper says flooding rains are winding down but the concern now is the river levels. The National Weather Service is monitoring those levels and is asking recreational boaters to use caution and watch for debris.

Anyone who needs to request Red Cross assistance due to localized flooding is asked to call 888-217-9599 and select option 1 to reach the Red Cross dispatch center.

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The water is starting to recede in many areas around Pittsburgh that experienced flash floods Friday night into Saturday morning, but many homes and businesses are still surrounded by water.

Crews have been working all day to prevent the flooding from getting worse in areas like Nottingham Township, North Strabane Township, Uniontown and Finleyville.

Residents spoke with Channel 11 about the flooding that seemingly came out of nowhere.

The floods left behind what looked like a lake off of Little Mingo Road, with water surrounding two homes.

Neighbors said a shed got swept across the street by the water, along with a ladder, two lawnmowers and other debris.

A few residents in that area had to be rescued overnight from the rising waters, going to the Red Cross located at the New Eagle Fire Station. Fire Chief John Curcio said emergency responders haven’t seen a situation like it since Hurricane Ivan.

West Pike Street at Route 519 in Houston was shut down temporarily due to flooding. The baseball field and Washington Co. Fairgrounds were completely flooded.

VIDEO: Washington County residents dealing with aftermath of severe flooding

In North Strabane, fire crews responded to 52 calls for service in the past 24 hours, according to the department’s post on Facebook Saturday.

Fayette County also experienced severe flooding.

In Uniontown overnight, there was nearly two inches of rain on the ground in less than an hour. Cars became submerged on Route 40 in Wharton Township.

Residents living on Church Street in Library suffered water pouring into basements. Firefighters pumped out several basements just on that street, some of which had seven feet of water inside.

Fire officials said a lot of furnaces and hot water heaters were damaged by the basements flooding in the area, so they had West Penn Power turn the power off temporarily for those residents.

Cece Evans, a resident of that neighborhood, said her backyard looked more like a lake than solid ground.

Fire crews helped these residents evacuate their homes, but they didn’t open a shelter because each of the families had somewhere they could go.

Washington County

The Washington fire chief told Channel 11 this storm caused worse damage than Hurricane Ivan back in 2004.

Emergency officials are stressing to not drive through any sort of standing water.  Their message is "Turn Around, Don't Drown." They also ask anyone that is in danger to call 911.

>>People rescued from cars submerged due to flash flooding

The Red Cross has opened shelters in Washington County for those effected by the floods:

Fayette County

Fayette County experienced severe flooding issues in its southwestern areas.

Allegheny County 

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