Heavy rain prompts flash flood emergencies in Pa. and N.J.

PORT CARBON, Pa. — More than 20 million people on the East Coast are threatened by dangerous weather. Heavy rain has already triggered flash flood emergencies in parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

“It came up really fast and we started evacuating a daycare and rescued thirteen children,” said Mayor Harold Herndon.

Pennsylvania residents were taken by surprise by how fast the water rose Monday, flooding homes, floating cars and buckling roads. One dramatic rescue in Phoenixville, west of Philadelphia, was caught on tape, showing a 12-year-old trapped in a pile of branches. In central Pennsylvania, the fire department in Tremont fielded calls for help by boat.

“We made our way out here with our boats because they had some areas they couldn’t access anymore with their brush trucks,” said Kyle Morgan with the Schuylkill Haven Rescue and Recovery Dive Team.

Parts of New Jersey saw extreme flooding over the weekend. Cars floated away from a dealership that sits near a river in Little Falls about 20 miles west of New York City. Just east of Little Falls, police had to rescue a bride from a the top of a car in Bogota, when she and the groom were stranded on their wedding day.

Back in Pennsylvania, the governor says emergency management agencies are working to ensure residents are safely evacuated and get help, but some people are losing patience.

“Governor Wolf was here,” said George Schaeffer, a Tremont resident. “I hope that he sees it now.”

With more rain in the forecast, millions all over the northeast are still at risk of flooding.