Credit: Rich Rolen/Special to The Morning Call.
Storms moved through the greater Philadelphia region Thursday afternoon bringing a deluge that prompted six water rescues in Lower Moreland Township.
Lower Moreland Township Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Scholly Jr. identified several areas of localized flooding where crews were dispatched to assist motorists during the weather event. Areas included Philmont Avenue, Red Lion Road, as well two stretches of Pine Road at County Line Road and Clearview Avenue.
While water rose “above their [car] doors,” no injuries were reported, according to Scholly, who spotlighted the efforts of the township’s police, public works and fire departments working out of Bryn Athyn and Huntingdon Valley.
“We had staffed crews, and they did an outstanding job,” he told MediaNews Group.
Scholly stressed the importance of safety during storms and cautioned motorists from operating vehicles through areas of flooding.
“If you see running water and the roads are closed, please give us a break and do not drive around the barricades when the roads are shut down,” Scholly said. “It just makes things more dangerous for us when we have to go in and get you.”
Precipitation ranged from 1.09 inches to nearly 2.5 inches of rainfall in parts of Montgomery County, according to the National Weather Service’s Mount Holly, New Jersey office.
Reports issued early Friday indicated that 2.41 inches of rain fell in Eagleville, 2.25 inches in Perkiomenville, 2.19 inches in Collegeville, and 1.80 inches in East Norriton Township. On the low end, 1.09 inches of rain fell in King of Prussia, 1.17 inches was reported in Pottstown and New Hanover Township received 1.20 inches of rain.
Those six water rescues were included in the hundreds of calls for service to the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Communications Center. It was an active few hours for first responders as there were 844 calls made between 12-5:59 p.m. Thursday, according to Deputy Director of Public Affairs Todd Stieritz, who said those figures were “153 percent of the calls received during a typical six-hour period.”
Stieritz spotlighted that 2-2:59 p.m. as the “busiest hour” with 196 calls, or “about 214 percent of the calls received during a typical hour.”
Of the 727 dispatched incidents, storm-related calls included 49 vehicle crashes, 26 defective traffic lights, 18 outdoor electrical fires, 16 hazardous road conditions, 14 road obstructions, and 11 disabled vehicles, Stieritz said.
“Summer storms bring a multitude of hazards, such as heavy rain, strong winds and frequent lightning. Monitoring the forecast is a simple step you can take to stay prepared and safe,” Stieritz told MediaNews Group.
