Flash Flood Emergency Prompts Water Rescues Throughout Philadelphia Region
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Several water rescues were made throughout the region Monday night after relentless rains triggered a flash flood emergency. Bucks County was hit particularly hard.
Bristol Township has declared a disaster emergency.
Rescue crews used rafts and life jackets to bring dozens of people to safety in Andalusia in Bensalem Township.
Residents evacuated from a condo building near the Poquessing Creek say the water rose in just a matter of minutes.
One of those areas hard hit was on the border of Northeast Philadelphia and Bensalem along Frankford Avenue, where the roadway dips and turns into Bristol Road.
At the top of the hill is a condo building. One resident Eyewitness News talked to said there's still 5 feet of water in the basement, leading to some tense moments as both residents and their furry friends had to be evacuated.
It was a frantic scene as people wearing life jackets and pets were rescued on rafts from the Lafayette Gardens Condominiums in Bensalem, which was flooded by the heavy rain that fell in just a few short hours.
"We live right behind the creek so everything built up and literally, the water just piled up everywhere," resident Victor Colon said.
Old Red Lion Road is the dividing line between Bensalem and Philadelphia. It is flooded, now impassible to car traffic, after the Poquessing Creek overflowed its banks.
In Bristol, cars were stranded along Route 13, where the water was several inches deep.
"If you live in Croydon or Bristol, you can't go home. Now, I'm stuck, stranded after work, you know, tired, want to go home," one man said.
At the Croydon station, the water peaked at chest height for those trying to make their way home.
Near I-95 in Bensalem, the water swallowed up cars attempting to pass. Several minutes later, as the flooding receded, it was a chaotic scene as traffic tried to get through.
"So that water right there is probably about 36 inches deep. There's two cars that are stuck that are blocking it so you have to go over to the right or the left. It's a little bit heavier there," one driver said.
As the sun set, Mother Nature capped off a historic day with a colorful finale above Frankford Avenue crews worked and waited for the flooding to retreat.
Those evacuated residents are staying at a local school as crews will likely be out all night as this rescue effort continues.
CBS3's Alicia Roberts reports.
