Torrential rain delayed flights at Philadelphia International Airport on Sunday and caused flash flooding that forced some residents to flee their apartments and blocked commuter trains and roads.
No serious injuries were reported as the sudden downpours moved across southeastern Pennsylvania.
In the flood-prone Philadelphia suburb of Upper Darby, more than 10 feet of water filled the basement and part of the first floor of four apartment buildings, leading officials to evacuate residents, Mayor Paula Brown said.
“Some just got it in their basement, but we have a lot of people who lost everything,” Brown said.
Norma Hutchinson said some of her family members were taken away by boat.
“The first thing I did was call the landlord and let him know what’s going on,” Hutchinson said. “He wanted to rescue us, but I said, ’No, you can’t; you need a boat.”’
Airlines at Philadelphia International Airport experienced weather-related delays of about an hour, airport spokesman Mark Pesce said.
Flooding also closed a subway line in Philadelphia and regional railways, and blocked parts of the expressway running through the city.
Four inches of rain was reported at Birdsboro in Berks County, and about 1.6 inches fell in Philadelphia, according to the National Weather Service. Some parts of central Pennsylvania also reported up to 4 inches of rain overnight, with minor flooding.