Heavy rains cause flooding in the region
Heavy rains swept through the region Thursday night into Friday morning, leading to road closures and school delays or cancellations.
According to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, between 1 1/2 inches and 2 1/2 inches of rain fell in Washington County during a six- to 12-hour period. In Greene County, rain totals were between 1 1/2 inch to 2 inches, while Fayette County saw up to 1 1/2 inches during that span.
鈥淲hen we鈥檙e looking at flooding, particularly during March, it doesn鈥檛 take as much rain to cause an issue, but 2 1/2 (inches) can give us an issue most times of the year,鈥� said NWS Pittsburgh meteorologist Colton Milcarek.
One-inch sized hail was recorded in Washington County, where flood warnings remained in effect Friday morning, Milcarek said.
Fayette and Greene counties had some rain-related damage, according to emergency management personnel.
There was a partial collapse of a portion of White Road in Saltlick Township, Fayette County, but the road has since been opened to one lane.
In Greene County, a driver got caught on a flooded roadway near Nineveh in Morris Township and had to be rescued by the fire department. There was also a lane restriction on Carmichaels Road in Cumberland Township.
Washington County had more severe damage.
The storms caused a landslide on Locust Avenue above Villas on the Green in South Strabane Township, damaging a home on Golf Course Drive in the housing development.
Jim Kashery, president of the Villas鈥� homeowners association, said they had been preparing for the possibility of the hillside collapsing.
鈥淪everal days ago we had a small mud slide up from the top of the hill, and I had our landscaping company, Mow, Mulch and More, come in,鈥� Kashery said Friday morning. 鈥淭hey were cleaning up the mud 鈥� Had them dump some gravel up there to try to prevent this big slide, and they were going to drive some steel beams in and try to prevent this hill from sliding anymore. Last night it got too bad, and it just took out everything.鈥�
He received a call from the homeowner at about 2:30 a.m. Friday about the landslide. Though there were no injuries, the inside of the home had water damage.
鈥淥n the inside, the hardwood floor is ruined. A tree (which fell due to the landslide) went through the window,鈥� Kashery said.
Locust Avenue between Hudack Hill and Interstate 79 will be closed indefinitely to repair the damage, said Melissa Maczko, press officer for the state Department of Transportation.