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CNN Live At Daybreak

Four Dead, Two Missing in Pennsylvania Floods

Aired June 18, 2001 - 07:03   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: And people in Southeastern Pennsylvania are among the latest victims of what is left of Tropical Storm Allison.

CNN's Jason Carroll joins us now from Horsham, Pennsylvania.

Good morning, Jason, how's it looking there this morning?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Colleen, I can tell you that later on this morning the search for the missing will continue. If you take a look behind me, you can see what that explosion did to that apartment building. The explosion was so powerful, people heard it several miles away.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (voice-over): First came the high-water, then the smell of gas. It took several hours for emergency crews to stabilize an apartment building enough to go back inside and recover the dead. At least four were killed and two are missing after a flash flood swept through here Saturday night and caused an explosion.

BILL MEYERS, WITNESS: I looked out the window and heard screaming, get them boats over here. Get them boats. And about that time, that gas got a little stronger and all of a sudden, just boom! It just shook the building and the whole front fell down.

CARROLL: The force of the blast blew out the front of the building. The fire started to spread, and the water was still rising. Victoria D'Aminco, and many like her, escaped in rescue boats.

VICTORIA D'AMINCO, FLOOD VICTIM: It was a terrible tragedy and terrible nightmare to me. I never, never experienced anything like it.

CARROLL: Tropical Storm Allison, which had already wrecked havoc in Texas and Louisiana, had one last punch for Southeastern Pennsylvania. Nine inches of rain fell Saturday night and triggered widespread power outages and flash floods. The water came so fast it trapped people in their cars.

ANNA RICH, FLOOD VICTIM: Oh, Lord.

CARROLL: Anna Rich spent much of her Sunday wiping up her water- logged Dodge Spirit.

RICH: I had had to call my boss at work to tell him I won't be in tomorrow because the insurance guy is coming out tomorrow to check it out. It's a mess. It's the first time that happened since I've been living here.

CARROLL: There's little water left now on the streets, but there is plenty of debris, and memories of what the victims had to go through.

RICH: I had never been so scared in all my life. It just was unbelievable. I mean, I never saw so much water and when you're trying to walk in it, it was just swirling. If I wasn't being held up by the man, I would have been under the water.

CARROLL: The Red Cross is here to help the victims get back on their feet and out of the shelters. Most have gone home to assess the damage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: And, Colleen, I can also tell you that this was a flash flood. The water arrived very quickly; it left just as fast. If we had been here during this flood, the water really would have been up to about midlevel here but right now there is very little evidence of any standing water.

I can tell you, though, that we are standing right next to a rail line out here. We're pulling out so that you can see that. Now this rail line is out of service and this is one of several rail lines in the area that will be out of service affecting some 12,000 commuters today.

There were 300 homes in the area that were damaged during the flood. And again, Colleen, there are still two people who are missing.

Back to you.

MCEDWARDS: All right. Jason Carroll, thanks very much, appreciate it.

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