'A foot of water coming at us': Bucks County flash flood survivors recount effort to stay alive
UPPER MAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. - The weekend storm system brought several inches of rain all across the Delaware Valley, with parts of Bucks County taking a big hit. And, for some, it turned deadly.
The search continues for a nine-month-old boy and his two-year-old sister in Upper Makefield Township. The pair went missing during flash flooding Saturday evening. Officials say five people are confirmed dead, including the children’s mother.
"All I have is a couple scratches on my hand," survivor Chloe Weissman said. "It isn’t much, so I really am grateful."
Weissman and her dad, Eli, say they were on a motorcycle ride Saturday afternoon that started in sunshine. When light rain began, they started to head home to Newtown and got behind some stopped vehicles on 532.
"All of a sudden, three inches of water, four inches of water, a foot of water coming at us. Like, there’s no way we see cars falling into each other. We see all of these things," Chloe described the frightening scene.
"This huge gush of water just came down from 532, down the hill and as it’s coming down, cars are starting to float," Eli Weissman explained. "We just tried to survive laying on our back, feet heading down, grabbing trees, grabbing vines, grabbing whatever we could to stay afloat."
Miraculously, the Weissmans’ say they were able to hold on until the floodwaters receded.
Upper Makefield Township officials say storms dumped upwards of seven inches of rain in the area in approximately 45 minutes, sweeping away three of 11 vehicles on 532 at the time.
Among those, officials say, was a family in town from Charleston, South Carolina, en route to a barbeque.
A grandmother, father and four-year-old were able to get to safety, but the mom, her nine-month-old son and two-year-old daughter were swept away in the floodwaters. The mom among the five confirmed dead.
"We ask, once again, for all those affected by this tragedy, for your thoughts and prayers and please hug your loved ones a little bit sooner," Upper Makefield Fire Company Chief, Tim Brewer, said.
"I saw the mother take the infant out of the back car seat and then walk around to the back of her car and that’s the last I saw of her," Eli said.
Governor Josh Shapiro joined state, county and township leaders Sunday. He said PEMA staff have been on-hand and PennDOT will eventually take a look at 532 to determine next steps.
"We have your backs. We will be here as long as it takes to make sure Bucks County gets back up on its feet," Governor Shapiro stated.
"I feel horrible for anyone affected. For the families. Anyone still missing," Chloe said. "It breaks my heart, but I’m just very grateful me and my dad made it out."