Flash flooding causes one death, extensive damage
Ed Cope
Workers use giant claws to remove the debris that piled up along Connellsville Street in the downtown area of Dunbar Saturday in the aftermath of an early morning flash flood that moved through the borough, causing considerable damage.
Ed Cope
The engine compartment of a car along Railroad Street in Dunbar is full of debris, as resident Michelle McKnight (right) prepares to clean up from the damage to her home and property Saturday. Dunbar Creek overflowed its banks and devastated the borough during the early morning hours.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Stand
Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department chief and township supervisor A.J. Boni watches as workers place a temporary pipe on a section of Falbo Road Saturday. Heavy rains early Saturday morning turned deadly, killing motorist Thomas C. Whipkey, 37, of Perryopolis when his car crashed into a large culvert where a section of road washed away.
Massive flash flooding in several Fayette County communities Saturday morning led to the death of one motorist and caused extensive damage to many homes and businesses.
A Perryopolis man was killed early Saturday when his Volkswagen Scirocco crashed into a large culvert that was created when flash flooding destroyed a portion of a road in Perry Township.
State police said Thomas C. Whipkey, 37, was driving south on Falbo Road around 1 a.m. Saturday. Severe weather had washed away part of the road.
鈥淲e had a large storm come through the area (Friday) night that knocked out portions of our roadway, creating a large ravine,鈥� said Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department chief and township supervisor A.J. Boni.
Whipkey蘑菇视频 vehicle traveled into the washed out roadway and fell 27 feet into the culvert created by the flooding.
Whipkey died as the result of a head injury sustained on impact, police said. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
Police said a motorist came upon the culvert on her way to work Saturday morning and notified 911. Township workers coming to assess the damage of the road discovered Whipkey蘑菇视频 vehicle at around 6:45 a.m., Boni said.
鈥淚t was a horrific accident,鈥� said Boni. 鈥淚t蘑菇视频 a shame when you have a storm of this magnitude it equals loss of life.鈥�
Boni said Saturday evening that a construction crew was on site, trying to make the roadway accessible once again. He said five homes lay beyond the culvert, leaving residents stranded. He hoped the township could find a temporary solution to make the road drivable Saturday night.
Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department, New Haven Hose Company Volunteer Fire Department, Fayette EMS, Fayette County Coroner蘑菇视频 office and state police also responded to the accident, said Boni.
In Dunbar, around 40 homes and many businesses were flooded when Dunbar Creek spilled over its banks, turning several downtown streets into one large river and putting the borough in a state of emergency, said Mike Breakiron, chief of the Dunbar Volunteer Fire Department.
鈥淛ust about every building in the downtown area was flooded, from the Kountry Klub (Restaurant and Lounge) to (Burhans-Crouse) Funeral Home,鈥� he said.
Breakiron said the flooding began at around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, with water levels peaking at four-and-a-half to five feet on borough streets before starting to recede about three hours later.
鈥淎t that point, our concern was to warn the residents, to prepare the residents in case we had to evacuate them,鈥� he said.
No injuries were reported, but Breakiron said he had heard reports that two homes were rendered unlivable.
Railroad and Church streets were hit the hardest, he said. Portions of roadway were destroyed, and parts of the railroad track were knocked out.
Breakiron said the flooding was the worst he had encountered in the borough since 1972, when Hurricane Agnes dumped torrential rains that caused massive flooding, which destroyed many homes.
About 15 of the borough蘑菇视频 volunteer firefighters worked alongside the South Connellsville, Monarch and Morrell volunteer fire departments Saturday to pump water from flooded buildings and clean up the streets, according to Breakiron.
Swiftwater rescue was put on standby during the ordeal and state and borough police and the state Department of Transportation assisted in the cleanup effort.
鈥淩ed Cross is down here to try to supply some aid to the people,鈥� Breakiron said.
Railroad Street resident Bonnie Ray said she was awoken by a neighbor at 3 a.m. and notified of the flooding. The basement under her ground-floor apartment filled with water.
鈥淲ater went over the furnace, the hot water tank, the electrical box,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he stench from the water was so bad. Whatever was in your basement you鈥檙e going to have to throw away.鈥�
Ray said that at the flood蘑菇视频 peak, the area around her home was unrecognizable. Residents were advised to seek higher ground in their homes, she said.
鈥淚t was as if you were watching a river after a rain, except it was everywhere. Nobody around here had yards. It was like the houses were built in the middle of this huge river,鈥� said Ray, who lives with her son, Robert, in the Railroad Street apartment. Robert Ray spent Saturday assisting the fire department with the clean up.
鈥淲e all came together and we鈥檙e still here, thank God,鈥� Bonnie Ray said of the Dunbar community. 鈥淚 just hope we can get help from someone.鈥�