Trees and wires down overnight in Fayette County
Wind and rain caused trees and wires down in Fayette County overnight, and more rain and potential flooding remain in the forecast today.
“There’s a lot of trees and wires down-things of that nature,” Susan Kozak-Griffith, the public information officer with the Fayette County Emergency Management Agency.
Griffith said the rain, saturated ground and wind caused trees to fall on both roadways and wires, causing downed wires to spark and catch fire in Farmington and Connellsville.
“We’re pretty fortunate that West Penn Power is responding to those quickly,” Griffith said.
According to the West Penn Power, as of Tuesday morning, Fayette County had 191 customers without power, mostly in Springhill Township. Most of of those outages had been restored by noon, leaving fewer than two dozen without power throughout the county.
Griffith said anyone who encounters a downed line should assume it is live and never attempt to move it.
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued a flood warning for the area in effect through late tonight as precipitation is expected through Wednesday evening. The total rainfall is expected to be between 1.5 to 2 inches by late Tuesday.
The National Weather Service reminded motorists not to drive through flooded areas as the water may be deeper than it appears.