Officials say they are treating this as a rescue, but are “fairly certain” it’s a recovery mission.
At least five people are dead and two children are missing after a sudden flash flood swamped a Pennsylvania road and swept away several cars.
The incident occurred in Bucks County’s Makefield Township around 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Two children from the same family are among the missing, which include a 9-month-old baby boy and his 2-year-old sister. Their mother was among those found dead, officials say.
Upper Makefield Fire Company Chief Tim Brewer said authorities are working tirelessly to locate the missing people, but hope is dwindling that they are alive.
“We are treating this as a rescue, but we are fairly certain that we are in a recovery mode at this time,” Brewer said in a press conference Sunday.
He said about 75 respondents are on the ground searching the area by foot.
Brewer called the intense flooding worse than Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 storm that ripped through several states in 2021.
In my 44 years of service, I thought Hurricane Ida was the benchmark,” Brewer said, “this is the new benchmark.
At the time of the incident, 11 cars were on the road and three were swept away, according to the Associated Press. Four-to-five feet of water covered the road.
Eight people were saved from cars and two from a creek.
Each of the three vehicles that were swept away were located, but no one was found inside. One was found about 1.5 miles from the road where the flood occurred.
The Lower Makefield Township Police Department issued a warning of hazardous road conditions on Twitter, saying some major roads are “impassable.”
Severe weather and flooding has been a danger across several states. The National Weather Service has issued flash flood and tornado warnings in areas of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Flooding in Vermont recently devastated the state, which is working to recover as more bad weather threatens the state.
