Sunday’s heavy rain led to flooding in many communities, including Muhlenberg Township’s Temple area in Berks County. The Red Cross is now helping people who were severely impacted. NBC10’s Deanna Durante has the details.
Storms caused flooding throughout the Philadelphia region on Sunday and more flooding is expected through Monday morning.
A flood warning remains in effect along the Schuylkill River in the area of Norristown in Montgomery County and in Philadelphia through Monday afternoon. The flood threat in minor, according to the National Weather Service.
The river was expected to crest around 13.5 feet in Norristown Monday morning, the weather service said.
A Flash Flood Warning was in effect for Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties until 9:30 p.m. Sunday. A flood watch was also in effect for Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, Chester, Montgomery and Bucks counties throughout Sunday night. Both of those earlier warnings expired.
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In a Sunday morning update, NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Bill Henley, noted that the region was also under a severe thunderstorm watch until 6 p.m. A slight risk of severe storms was present, however, flooding was the main issue.
Reading, Pennsylvania, got more than 5 inches of rain on Sunday. West Lawn got nearly 7 inches of rainfall in just 24 hours.
Weather
As of about 2 p.m. some areas, specifically in Radnor or Upper Merion Township, were hit with significant rainfall which led to flooding.
First responders reportedly rescued people after vehicles were trapped in water in Upper Merion Township, Conshohocken and Radnor Township.
All lanes on I-476 northbound were flooded approaching County Line Road in Conshohocken, causing major backup in the area.
Traffic cameras also showed flooding on Route 22 at the PA 61 exit in the Lehigh Valley.
Major flooding and rescues were also reported in Quakertown, Bucks County, as well as parts of Berks County.
Flooding in Muhlenberg Township
The heavy rain also caused widespread flooding in Muhlenberg Township, Berks County, especially along Rising Sun Avenue and Mount Laurel Road. Mike Smaglinski, a Vietnam veteran, lost several possessions – including his hearing aids – after flood water damaged his garage, basement and pool.
“I’m devastated,” Smaglinski said. “I got collector cars over there I’m working on. Ton of money in them. All my new parts, they’re all over there. That’s not a big deal, but I don’t know, my garage is destroyed.”
The flooding in Muhlenberg's Temple neighborhood caused sheds to travel across the street and damaged fences. Crawfish from a nearby creek even surfaced as neighbors cleaned up the streets.
While the flooding didn’t damage homes that are on high ground in the neighborhood, residents of those houses currently can’t leave due to the nearby road caving in.
“We came home at 3:30 to see. We couldn’t even cross the street,” Traci Rhoads, a resident, told NBC10. “We couldn’t even get to our house to start doing anything until 6:30.”
Parts of Route 61 were closed due to the flooding. At least one vehicle was stuck in flood water and traffic was backed up for at least an hour, according to witnesses.
“I want to see the water so I can go through,” Miguel Saez, a driver who was stuck in the traffic, told NBC10.
Families also had to deal with the aftermath of flooding at 6th Avenue and Tuckertown Avenue in Muhlenberg.
“Like a tidal wave,” Holly Hoffman told NBC10. “My kids told me I could come out and go surfing. What makes no sense is people were still driving in it.”
Flooding in Montgomery County
In Hatboro, Pennsylvania, the rain caused flooding at an apartment complex on Horsham Road Sunday evening.
"It's unbelievable, really," Brian Wood, a resident, told NBC10. "You wouldn't think it would get this bad because it didn't rain that hard for that long."
It was a similar scene on Mill Road in Upper Moreland, Pennsylvania, where water rose quickly and overwhelmed storm drains. Rescue crews responded to the location after a red minivan was trapped in the flash flooding.
"It's crazy. It's not been like this in awhile," Susan Eckert, an Upper Moreland resident, told NBC10.
After the rain moved out and the flooding subsided however, a rainbow formed in some areas, including Hatboro.
No major injuries were reported in connection to the flooding.
Skies are expected to mostly clear Monday, leading to a decreased threat of flooding. However, some places could get some showers Monday.
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