PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: A South Carolina mother has died after getting trapped in flash flooding in Pennsylvania, while her two infants, aged nine months and two years old, are still missing. Katie Seley, 32, was one of the fatalities during the flash flooding and severe rain that destroyed roads and swamped homes over the weekend. Her mother Dahlia, 62, her husband Jim, and her eldest child, 4, made it through the flood. A desperate search is being conducted for the missing toddler and her infant brother after their mother was killed in the flash flood.
Frightened dad Jim Sheils was able to save his 4-year-old son Jack, but he was forced to watch in horror as his wife Katie and his two little ones were swept away by a "wall of water." The East Coast has been devastated by flooding as the US is being battered by extreme weather, and flash floods have recently occurred in Pennsylvania. Authorities in the state sent out 100 personnel, drones, and cadaver dogs in a last-ditch effort to locate missing Matilda Sheils, 2, and her nine-month-old brother Conrad Sheils, as reported by Mirror.
Matilda Sheils, 2, and 9-month-old Conrad Sheils still missing
On Saturday, July 15, while visiting family and friends, the devastated Charleston, South Carolina, family was trapped in a flash flood. The family was on their way to a barbecue when the flash flood carried away their car. According to a spokesperson, the search along the stream that empties into the Delaware River was a "massive undertaking."
Upper Makefield Fire Chief Tim Brewer said, "Dad, miraculously, was able to get himself and their 4-year-old son to safety, but the mother and grandmother who were trying to get their 2 other children, [Conrad] ages 9 months and [Matilda] 2 years to safety, were all swept away by the raging flood waters. Unbelievably, the grandmother survived and was treated at a local hospital. However, the lovely mother of these two beautiful children was one the people we found deceased during yesterday’s search efforts. So, it is their two children we are looking to bring home."
During a press conference, authorities stated that the search will continue on and that every effort would be made to "bring these beautiful children home to their families." Police declared, "Today, the search will continue for the two children who are still missing. Due to more favorable weather conditions, we have been able to triple the assets deployed as our search areas widens. Every effort will be made to bring these beautiful children home to their families."
According to a local police department official, "The people who got caught in the flash flood did NOT drive into a flooded roadway. The water came upon them and that there was nothing they could have done to avoid the suddenness of the raging water." An uncle of the missing kids, Scott Ellis, described the family as "utterly devastated."
Pennsylvania flash floods casualties
In Pennsylvania, there have currently been five fatalities. In Bucks County, three of the adults were initially discovered on a flooded road that was five feet above ground level. Three of the approximately 11 vehicles on General Washington Memorial Boulevard near the river were swept away when they were caught in the heavy downpour. Eight persons, including two from Houghs Creek, were saved from vehicles.
In addition to Seley, four other persons died in the floodwaters on Saturday. According to authorities, the other victims were Susan Barnhart, 53, Yuko Love, 64, Enzo Depiero, 78, and Linda Depiero, 74. The Bucks County physician confirmed that each of them died by drowning.
Flash floods trapped almost a dozen cars on Saturday afternoon as Houghs Creek grew to the size of a swift-moving river. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, three cars were washed away, and all the other dead were discovered outside of their vehicles after attempting to escape the flooding. Nick Primola, a resident of Bucks County, told Reuters that while he is used to the "crazy weather these days," his town has never experienced anything like this.
