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Bedford County was in jeopardy of running out of orange traffic cones and road closed signs Wednesday, said Emergency Services Director Dave Cubbison.
Remnants of Hurricane Ida left much of the area near the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River, Shober's Run and Bob's Creek underwater.
"I think the municipalities are stretched trying to close roads," Cubbison said Thursday. "It's unusual that we get a widespread event like this in Bedford County."
Neither Blair nor Bedford County reported any deaths or injuries during Wednesday's storm and the subsequent flooding.
Officials were thankful they didn't have to deal with high winds in addition to the pouring rain.
"One of the good things in a sense that we saw happen is that it was strictly a rain event, not a high wind event," Cubbison said.
Swift water rescue teams from Bedford, Saxton, Cambria and Somerset performed about 15 rescues of people stuck in camps or stranded in vehicles, according to Cubbison.
"I think some people needed to get places and because so many roads were covered with water, and moving water, that they had no choice but to travel through water and a couple people ended up becoming stranded," Cubbison said.
The Breezewood Volunteer Fire Company recommended that the residents of Sea Crest Mobile Home Park located off of I-70 south of Breezewood evacuate to the Breezewood Fire Hall where they were taken care of by the American Red Cross, according to Cubbison.
The number of rescues that had to be conducted highlighted the need for everyone to form a plan ahead of a weather event in the case of an emergency.
People will wait to evacuate or travel because they think the weather won't be as bad as predicted, Cubbison said, which ultimately imperils first responders and rescue teams.
"It puts everyone's life in jeopardy," Cubbison said.
He highly encourages those who are traveling during a weather event or who need to evacuate to tell others where they're going and when they should arrive. There were a couple of vehicle accidents on Route 30, Cubbison said, with hydroplaning being noted by several people he spoke to Wednesday.
"During a high water event or high wind event, drivers need to adjust their driving," Cubbison said.
Cubbison said the water in Bedford County began receding about midnight Wednesday.
On Thursday, about five fire companies were assisting homeowners across the county pumping water out of basements.
The reports that Cubbison received have mostly consisted of inches of water in basements, with a few having several feet. One person reported his basement was filled "to the rafters."
A number of areas in Bedford County remained without power Wednesday, affecting several hundred customers of Penelec and West Penn Power, according to Cubbison. Those areas include Southampton township and Six Mile Run. They expected to have power restored by Thursday evening.
"Both Penelec and West Penn Power have had difficulty getting to sites where damage has occurred due to the water," Cubbison said.
Although skies were clear and sunny Thursday,
PennDOT crews were checking roadways for flooding, providing traffic control, removing debris or downed trees, opening clogged drainage areas, checking water levels at bridges, checking bridge structures and ensuring the roads that were once flooded were still intact.
"It is generally all hands on deck in weather situations," Tara Callahan-Henry, PennDOT press officer for District 9, said in an email. "We still have crews out checking bridges and roadways at this time and they will continue until waters recede."
Blair and Bedford counties are beginning damage assessment.
So far there is minimal damage in Blair County, according to Emergency Services Director Mark Taylor. The damage reported is mostly coming from flooded basements.
"What I've found about Blair County is that they're resilient," Taylor said.
Cubbison said if people's homes were damaged during the storm or from floodwaters, they can report it to the county's emergency agency, which will then pass that information along to the state.
Further adding to first responders' workload was a small electrical fire that broke out in Rebecca's Personal Care Home in Everett on Wednesday, necessitating an evacuation to the United Methodist Church. Once there, residents were given food donated by the Everett Sheetz.