Holiday storms create havoc in Valley

They affected celebration plans, knocked out power for thousands and left a long path of damage.

While fireworks lit up the skies across the Mon Valley Saturday night, Mother Nature put on a far more dangerous display.

Powerful thunderstorms swept across Southwestern Pennsylvania during Fourth of July celebrations, bringing torrential rain, flash flooding, landslides, widespread power outages and dangerous travel conditions that kept emergency responders busy for hours across Washington, Westmoreland and Fayette counties.

Although many local fireworks displays continued as planned despite the weather, several celebrations were disrupted as storms rolled through during the evening.

In McKeesport, live music scheduled as part of the city’s Fourth of July celebration was canceled because of the weather, and officials opted for a shortened fireworks display. The city said Ace Pyro presented an abbreviated show with limited fireworks because of rain and safety concerns.

Fireworks that could not be launched safely Saturday will instead be added to the city’s International Village and Labor Day displays.

In Pittsburgh, Fourth of July festivities were delayed for much of the evening as severe weather moved through the area. Gates at the North Shore and Point State Park reopened shortly after 8 p.m., but thousands of people attempted to enter at once, creating lengthy lines and unexpected wait times. Many spectators instead watched the fireworks from downtown sidewalks and other nearby locations.

As holiday celebrations continued, emergency responders throughout the Mon Valley dealt with the aftermath of the storms.

The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh canceled its severe thunderstorm watch Saturday night, but flash flood warnings remained in effect for Washington and Westmoreland counties because of earlier heavy rainfall.

Charleroi firefighters answer 31 calls

Charleroi Fire Chief Robert Whiten Jr. said the department responded to 31 calls beginning Saturday evening as severe weather swept through the borough.

“It was one after another,” Whiten said. “From about 9 p.m. until midnight, we were constantly running calls.”

Firefighters responded to flooded roadways, a lightning strike that damaged shingles on a home and another incident on Luella Avenue where a tree fell, sparking against a house and pulling down the electrical service line.

Crews also used sandbags to protect a home from runoff pouring from a nearby hillside, delivered generators to two homes without electricity, responded to medical emergencies.

Whiten said firefighters helped facilities that lost power and worked with residents to keep sump pumps operating using battery backup equipment after electricity was interrupted.

“It seemed like everything we had was needed,” Whiten said. “Shovels, brooms, sandbags, pumps, thermal imaging cameras. It was just crazy.”

Despite the volume of calls, no injuries or evacuations were reported.

“No one got hurt and no one had to be evacuated,” Whiten said. “Once everything subsided, it became a general cleanup, but it was all hands on deck.”

He credits the Charleroi Street Department with clearing storm drains and unclogging sewers as floodwaters receded.

By Sunday, Whiten said the additional rain did not create the same widespread problems experienced the night before.

Allenport hillside collapses onto Route 88

Stockdale Fire Chief TJ Wilkinson said his department received its first weather-related call around 7 p.m. Saturday and remained busy for approximately three hours.

One of the most significant incidents occurred along Route 88 in the Vesta area of Allenport, where heavy rain caused a hillside to collapse onto the roadway.

“A gas company had installed a line, and when the rain came it took the hillside and put it on 88,” Wilkinson said.

Firefighters borrowed heavy equipment to remove mud and debris from the roadway. Route 88 was closed for about two hours before reopening, and PennDOT crews later completed cleanup operations.

Wilkinson said firefighters also responded to one or two homes with water problems.

“It depends how it comes down. It was so hard,” he said, noting the steep hillside contributed to the runoff.

Despite the dangerous conditions, firefighters also found time to rescue an unexpected victim of the storm.

While clearing a fallen tree branch, firefighter Maria Wright discovered a turtle trapped in the debris.

“We stopped to move a branch and there was a turtle right there,” Wilkinson said.

The turtle was safely rescued before crews returned to emergency operations.

Elsewhere in the region, a landslide was reported on Cook Street in Fayette City as saturated hillsides gave way under the heavy rainfall.

Thousands remain without power

The storms also knocked out power to thousands of residents across the region.

As of 3 p.m. Sunday, West Penn Power reported crews were still responding to the combined impacts of the recent extreme heat and multiple rounds of severe storms, including additional damage from storms late Friday and Saturday that caused new outages across portions of its service territory.

The utility said approximately 5,700 customers remained without power Sunday afternoon as crews worked around the clock to restore service.

“Our crews continue to respond to the combined impacts of extreme heat and multiple rounds of severe storms,” the company said in a statement. “We remain committed to restoring service as quickly and safely as possible and will continue working 24/7 until every customer has power restored.”

West Penn Power said restoration times continue to be updated as damage assessments are completed and repairs are made.

The continuing outages also affected businesses and services across the Mon Valley, with some delaying operations or temporarily closing while crews worked to restore electricity.

The company said water and ice were available to Met-Ed customers without power as restoration efforts continued following the recent heat wave and severe weather.

Flood threat continues

Although the severe thunderstorm threat ended Saturday night, the chances of flooding remained.

Much of Western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia remained under a flood watch from 3 to 10 p.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.

Forecasters said the watch was issued because many locations that received heavy rainfall Saturday were expected to receive additional rounds of rain Sunday.

“Localized spots of moderate to heavy rainfall are expected into the evening,” the weather service said. “Heavy rain may lead to flooding of low-lying areas, creeks and nearby roads.”

The weather service warned that excessive runoff could result in flooding of streams, creeks and other flood-prone locations and urged residents to remain weather aware for additional warnings throughout the day.