Tropical Storm Isaias Lashes Area With Heavy Rain, Wind

Downed branches, trees, and utility wires were the area’s largest impacts from Tropical Storm Isaias.

Rain started Monday evening and continued through Tuesday afternoon in the Levittown area. Windy conditions – with strong gusts – were the main feature during Tuesday morning and afternoon.

As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, PECO reported that more than 27,700 customers in the Levittown area were in the dark. The largest percentage out outages were in Langhorne Borough, Langhorne Manor Borough, Middletown Township, and Tullytown Borough, but every Levittown-area town had numerous outages.

Across Bucks County, PECO reported that roughly 43 percent of all their customers were without service due to the storm.

PECO said they have crews out to restore power. They have called an additional 700 contractors to assist in service restoration efforts.

Local public works and PennDOT crews were out and clearing debris from roadways and sidewalks.

Power outages and debris caused numerous road closures and left a number of traffic signals dark. The situation made for a trying evening commute for some.

The sound of chainsaws could be heard throughout Levittown.

Kevin Dippolito, Bristol Township’s fire marshal and emergency management director, said the majority of calls throughout the day were for downed trees and power lines. Several structures were hit by falling trees, but there were no serious structural damage or injuries.

Middletown Township Fire Marshal and Emergency Management Director Jim McGuire reported a large amount trees and limbs fell through the Parkland and Langhorne sections. Several cars and homes were damaged when they were struck, but no injuries reported.

In Falls Township, Rich Dippolito, the fire marshal and emergency management director, said there were plenty of reports of downed trees and wires, but no serious injuries.

Several nursing homes in Bristol Township and Middletown Township were without power but had backup systems running. Kevin Dippolito said Silver Lake Nursing Center was operating on generator power and Legacy Gardens was on battery power.

At Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township, half the facility was operating on emergency power due to storm damage. The hospital remained open.

At county-owned Playwicki Park along the fast-moving Neshaminy Creek in Middletown Township, numerous trees were snapped and scattered branches filled the park. The scene was reminiscent of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

There were no immediate reports of serious flooding. The Delaware River was forecasted to stay below flood stage and the Neshaminy Creek was predicted to get 3 feet above flood stage Tuesday night into Wednesday.

While fire companies and the county had water rescue and boat teams ready, there were no major water rescues reported in the Levittown area.

The emergency management office reported 2.33 inches of rain Tuesday in Bristol Township.

In Central Bucks County, parts of Doylestown Borough and Doylestown Township saw significant damage from the storm. High winds flipped cars and SUVs outside Doylestown Hospital and tore the roof off a daycare with children inside.

While there was speculation there was a tornado in the Doylestown area, county officials said that had not yet been confirmed.

Outside of Bucks County, there were reports of numerous water rescues and downed trees and wires on roadways. Delaware, Berks, and Montgomery counties appeared hard hit.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s office called the situation on the ground “rapidly changing.”

The state assigned their PA Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team, Swiftwater Emergency Response Teams, and Pennsylvania National Guard to the region to assist with responding to the storm.

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