A humid spring storm brought torrential rain to Pittsburgh this week, creating dangerous flooding conditions and forcing people to evacuate their homes along with their pets.
Rain began to fall on Thursday and in the afternoon. During that time, rainfall exceeded 3 to 4 inches per hour. The storm is part of the same system that wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast states and the Midwest earlier this week.
More than 4 inches of rain had fallen in the Pittsburgh area as of Thursday night, prompting emergency warnings for people and pets to evacuate as parts of the city were submerged in floodwaters.
The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Pittsburgh issued a flash flood emergency Thursday night for parts of southwestern Allegheny County and northern Washington County where more than 4 inches of rain fell, a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) said. Posted. “Vehicle and residential water rescue operations continue. This is an extremely dangerous situation for locations in the highlighted areas.”
The city of Etna, a small borough in Allegheny County, posted an emergency message on Facebook late Thursday asking residents to evacuate with their animals.
“The Borough of Etna has issued an evacuation advisory for people living in flood zones or at risk of flooding. Water levels in Pine Creek have reached 14 feet. Please leave the area and bring your pets with you. Please take action,” the post reads. “If you have nowhere to go, Emmanuel Lutheran Church at Grant Avenue and Highland Avenue is open and staffed. If you do not wish to evacuate, please go to the top floor of your home. Emergency personnel will contact you to evacuate you.” You may not be able to do so. You may have to stay there until the floodwaters recede.”
NWS meteorologist Mike Kennedy said. newsweek Rain continued to fall in Pittsburgh Friday morning, with rain expected to ease by the afternoon. Dry conditions are expected to return tomorrow.
“It's still raining, but we don't expect any new areas to be flooded,” he said.
More than 10 inches of rain fell in parts of Texas earlier this week. Heavy rain prompted calls for animal rescue, with one man rushing to rescue a horse from a flooded barn.
“Lone Star Lifesaver: A Texas man springs into action to rescue a horse from a barn that was up to its neck in water from heavy rain,” FOX News posted on X Thursday morning. “He led all the animals out in the boat and didn't leave until they were accounted for.”
In Loganville, Texas, volunteer firefighters helped people evacuate their homes. They also saved animals, including livestock, from floods.
“We transported people and their fur babies. We saved the lives of many animals at the Kirbyville Auction Barn,” the Loganville Volunteer Fire Department posted on Facebook. “It was a very long and tiring day.”
The fire department's post added that there was no loss of life during the rescue.
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