BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Rescue crews made thousands of water search operations in Pennsylvania Wednesday as Tropical Storm Ida dropped up to 8 inches of rain across the state.
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) Director Randy Padfield said there were 500 rescue calls in Montgomery County alone.
“One of the teams in their boat a number of firefighters pinned up against the bridge here by moving water and ended up having to be rescued themselves. Actually transported to the hospital for evaluation,” Padfield said.
The number of deaths from the storm currently is low, Padfield said.
But Gov. Tom Wolf said across the commonwealth people are hurting after the historic storm.
“Many people had to deal with rare weather events that don’t normally affect them, their families or their communities,” Wolf said.
PennDOT officials shut down 370 roads, most from flooding. Several rivers including the Delaware and Schuylkill will continue to rise.