CHEWTON, Pa. — Lawrence County first responders are calling it some of the worst flooding they’ve seen in years.
Oswald Street in the village of Chewton is closed after Sunday’s downpour.
PennDOT said two culvert pipes either failed or got blocked during the storm overflowing a nearby creek. It caused the road to quickly flood where three homes are now underwater.
“It scared me. I went into full-on panic mode and anxiety attack,” said Heavyn Kerr. “Our neighbor came down to calm me down. Within 25-30 minutes, our whole house was underwater. It came in so quick. You just watch the water get deeper and deeper.”
The house Kerr and her boyfriend rent was partially submerged and their cars.
Michael Hill said he saw their basement cave-in within seconds.
“I heard a boom and saw water is pouring in through the window and knocks the wall down. Thousands of gallons of water in the basement just like that, I’ve never seen water move like that,” said Michael Hill.
They have 15 animals. They had to save their goats, ferrets, and rabbits. However, their snake, turtle and gecko are still in the house.
“We are hoping the house doesn’t fall apart so we can get in there and salvage what we can and get the rest of our pets out,” said Kerr.
Channel 11 saw PennDOT crews pumping out the water.
The cleanup is expected to take a while. Right now, America Red Cross is helping those impacted.
PennDOT said Cemex, the mining company that owns the pipes, is working with them to fix the problem.
“We aren’t in a flood zone, it shouldn’t have happened,” said Hill. “I wish the pipes would have worked but things happen you just have to move on.”
PennDOT said Oswald Street should be back open in about two or three days.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
