Chester County residents displaced due to flooding from Debby; Shapiro declares disaster emergency
The disaster emergency proclamation is for 21 counties, including Chester and Berks.
AVONDALE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Dozens of residents in Chester County are displaced after remnants from Debby inundated their neighborhood with several feet of water.
It happened Thursday night on the unit block of 1st Street in Avondale. Neighbors said within two hours of the rainfall, several feet of water had piled up on the street. The deluge then forced water inside homes and a nearby apartment building that emergency crews had to evacuate.
Saravana Karthik said the flooding caught him and his family off guard because they weren't aware of what was happening outside their front door. He didn't realize the seriousness of the situation until he saw the more than five feet of water that filled his basement and the emergency crews that came to evacuate him and his family.
"The rescue team came," Karthik said. "And they have to pull out my family completely on the boat. They have to use the boat because it's so much water."
They made it to safety and spent the night with friends. When he returned home Friday, it was clear that he wouldn't be able to stay because his basement and its contents were almost completely underwater.
"It's completely dangerous to stay there because it's fully underneath water," he said. "My HVAC system is submerged inside the water."
The nightmare weather event continued at the apartment complex next door, where the American Red Cross said dozens of people were displaced after water seeped into their building. In photos Action News obtained from a resident, you could see the ground floor covered in several inches of murky water.
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Jennifer Graham, the regional CEO for the American Red Cross, said the organization acted quickly when they got a request for assistance Thursday night. In partnership with Chester County Office of Emergency Management and the Garage Community and Youth Center, it opened a temporary shelter to house residents who were affected by the flooding.
By Friday afternoon, American Red Cross employees were on the ground trying to assess the damage and the needs of those who were forced out of their homes.
"For right now, we've got food, we've got a place for them to stay and we're taking care of their immediate needs," Graham told Action News.
The situation was a point of frustration for Qin Huang, who tried to keep a smile on his face as he explained that the most recent flooding event was the second time in as many months that the neighborhood had been inundated with water.
He said he had begun the process of pumping water out of his basement but pointed out that the car in his driveway that belonged to a friend was the next storm-related problem he had to deal with.
"He tried to drive the car out, but police stopped him because there was already flooding," Huang said "This morning he tried to the start engine, it's not working."
Meanwhile, Karthik who was waiting to hear the status of his two vehicles that also took on flood water, said he was seriously considering moving out of the neighborhood so he and his family could feel safe in their home.
"We want to get out of this place," he said. "Definitely, my family is scared to come back. But what will I do?"
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed a disaster emergency proclamation for 21 counties Friday, including Chester and Berks. This will allow the Commonwealth to quickly provide resources as the recovery efforts begin.
"To expedite resources and cut through the red tape, I issued a disaster declaration in response to the severe storms and flooding all across Pennsylvania, allowing the Commonwealth to move quickly to fulfill county requests for assistance," said Governor Shapiro.
