Police released the names of the 5 people whose bodies were recovered from flood waters over the weekend in Upper Makefield Twp. One of the victims identified is the mother of the 2 children police say are still missing. NBC10’s Karen Hua gives an update.
Officials identified all five people who were killed during severe flash flooding in Upper Makefield Township over the weekend. The following victims were found dead Saturday and Sunday following the flooding of Houghs Creek:
- Enzo De Piero, 78, of Newtown Township, Pennsylvania
- Linda De Piero, 74, of Newtown Township, Pennsylvania
- Susan Barnhart, 53, of Titusville, New Jersey
- Katheryn Seley, 32, of Charleston, South Carolina
- Matilda (Mattie) Sheils, 2, of Charleston, South Carolina
- Yuko Love, 64, of Newtown Township
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
Drowning was the cause of death for all five victims, Bucks County coroner Meredith Buck revealed during a Monday afternoon press conference. Love also died from multiple injuries. The deaths of all five victims were ruled accidental.
Officials continue to search for Seley's two children -- 9-month-old Conrad and 2-year-old Matilda (Mattie) Sheils -- who both went missing while their mother and grandmother tried to rescue them from the floodwaters.
"We extend our deepest condolences to all the victims' families and friends during this extremely difficult time," Buck said. "It is a sad time for these families, this community, and all of Bucks County as all efforts are focused on finding the missing children."
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Scott Ellis, the uncle of the missing children, spoke on behalf of the family during Monday's press conference.
"First, our family would like to extend our deepest gratitude for the enormous efforts of so many emergency personnel who have been working tirelessly in dangerous and difficult conditions to rescue the victims of this horrific tragedy," he said. "Their compassion, kindness, and bravery have given us strength in this unspeakably difficult time. And their commitment to bringing Conrad and Maddie home is unwavering. We are thankful that they were able to save so many affected by these unprecedented floods."
On Sunday, Upper Makefield Fire Chief Tim Brewer said that weather conditions had limited some of their search efforts along Houghs Creek over the weekend.
But, Monday's search effort, he said, would be "triple" the size.
"This is going to be a massive undertaking," he said. "We are searching the entire creek."
Brewer said that the search will continue with air and underwater units that were unavailable due to weather yesterday.
Drones will also fly in the area, he said. Monday’s search is focusing on the creek, the damaged roadway, and the tree-lined hills on either side, according to Brewer.
'They were perfect parents'
Two of the other victims of the flooding, Enzo De Piero and Linda De Piero, were a married couple from Newtown Township.
"We have a lot of pain right now. For sure. We were really, really close with them," the couple's son, Zack DePiero, told NBC10. "They were perfect parents. I was the only child. They were like my best buddies."
The couple's family members told NBC10 they had just finished dinner on Saturday but never made it home as they traveled on Route 532.
"They cared about people," Zack De Piero said. "They tried to make people feel special. They tried to make people laugh. They had a lot of love in their hearts and they had a lot more love to give too."
The recovery effort so far
On Sunday, officials said a total of seven people had gone missing in the flooding. Five have been recovered deceased and the two children remain missing.
Officials said over the weekend that the children belong to a family -- now identified as the Sheils -- that was visiting the area from South Carolina that was caught in the storm.
The family of six -- all from Charleston, South Carolina -- were traveling along Route 532 in Upper Makefield Township on Saturday around 5:30 p.m. on their way to a to a barbecue when, officials said, a torrential downpour caused flooding in the area and disabled their vehicle.
The father, Jim Sheils, managed to get their 4-year-old son -- whose identity was not provided by officials -- out of the vehicle and they escaped the floodwaters.
However, the two women in the vehicle -- Seley and her mother -- got swept away along with the children as they tried to rescue the young children, officials said.
Seley's body was recovered over the weekend. But, her mother, the children's grandmother, survived, and officials said Sunday, that she is being treated at a nearby hospital.
"She's fine," Brewer said, when asked the grandmother's condition on Monday morning.
On Sunday, Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, visited the community to express his support for their recovery efforts and see first hand the devastation cause by the weekend's storm.
Also, on Monday, Bucks County's Board of Commissioners signed an emergency disaster declaration that would direct the county's emergency management coordinator to "take all appropriate action needed" to alleviate the effects of the weekend disaster.
The declaration is expected to be ratified on Wednesday, but would be retroactive.
On road closures during the search, officials said Sunday morning that all roadways in Lower Makefield Township are now passable except for River Road, which is closed between Woodside Road and Route 532 and Taylorsville Road which is closed between Woodside and Mt. Eyre roads.
The Taylorsville Road closure will be an extended closure, according to township officials.
Officials plan to provide another update on the ongoing search Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
