Chester County residents, emergency crews clean up after severe flooding

EAST BRADFORD TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Officials spent Wednesday assessing damage in Chester County, Pennsylvania after powerful storms rolled through Tuesday evening.

Officials said PennDOT crews inspected the damage to a bridge along Rt. 322/Downingtown Pike that occurred as the East Branch Brandywine Creek reached a major flood stage Tuesday.

By Wednesday afternoon, the bridge was reopened.

PennDOT said there was no damage to it and an agency spokesperson said that a routine bridge inspection had to be conducted after the storm.

Not far from the bridge, people living along Valley Creek reported damage from the flood waters.

Bird Milliken, who lives on Valley Creek Road, said Tuesday's storm flooded her backyard and inside her house.

"I'm speechless. It is so traumatizing," Milliken said. "My entire life is spent cleaning up from these storms and preparing for the next one."

Little league baseball fields were also underwater in Downingtown during the storms.

The power of Shamona Creek was also on display near Dowlin Forge Road and Shelmire Road in Uwchlan Township, where flash floodwaters overtook surrounding roads.

In West Whiteland Township, police said they made 16 water rescues where rescuers had to pull 30 drivers from vehicles that were stranded in high water.

"Some of the water rescues weren't even dispatched," West Whiteland Fire Chief Kevin Miller said. "It was just stumbling upon them as we went to the next call."

Drivers had to really slow down as water went gushing over a wall and onto the road at the Exton Train Station next to Rt. 30 and Rt. 100.

Miller said one of the hardest-hit areas on Tuesday evening was Whitford Road near Commerce Drive in Exton.

"The current was pretty strong. People were stuck," Chief Miller said.