Driver in Slippery Rock rescued due to flooding Friday
After a thunderstorm flooded multiple Slippery Rock Borough roads, a driver had to be rescued from his vehicle Friday night.
The storm resulted in the National Weather Service of Pittsburgh issuing a flash flood warning for the area. The warning expired at 10 p.m., which is when Jeff Campbell, the borough council president, declared a state of emergency.
Rain had begun washing away roads, flooding basements and creating sinkholes in the area.
The state of emergency urged people to stay indoors until the situation could be assessed and appropriate action taken, according to Borough Manager Shawn Pugh.
Ryan Hanchosky, chief of Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Company, said a call came in after 7 p.m. for a car caught in the water flowing on Kiester Road near West Lake Street.
“The ponds from Slippery Rock University overflowed due to the volume of water, and it was going into a creek nearby,” he said. “(The driver) said he thought he could make it, but the water rose to his windshield.”
Hanchosky said crews used a tower fire engine vehicle to rescue the driver, lowering the tower over the water. The scene was cleared in an hour.
The incident resulted in no injuries, Hanchosky said.
The call was one of several received because of the storm, he added.
“We had five or six calls at the same time. Prospect Borough/Franklin Twp Volunteer Fire Department came to assist us,” he said.
Butler County Water Rescue Team 300, Harrisville and Unionville volunteer fire companies all responded to the scene.
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