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Philly area cleans up from floods, with eyes on swollen rivers

Water spilled over the banks along sections of the Schuylkill and Brandywine Creek.

Cyclist rides along Kelly Drive early Tuesday morning after floodwaters receded along the Schuylkill.
Cyclist rides along Kelly Drive early Tuesday morning after floodwaters receded along the Schuylkill.Read moreALEJANDRO ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer

The Philadelphia region has largely cleaned up from Monday's flash floods, but scattered storms Tuesday kept officials watching the skies and rising rivers for the possibility of more high water.

While the area saw periods of thunderstorms Tuesday, it was spared the flooding that occurred Monday, when flash floods closed major highways, trapped scores of motorists in their vehicles, and prompted the evacuation of residents whose homes were suddenly surrounded by water.

Flood warnings that had been in place for areas along the Schuylkill from Pottstown to Norristown, as well as along the Brandywine Creek from around Chadds Ford to Wilmington, were canceled as the water receded throughout the day.

The rushing waters created islands of pooling trash, including plastic bottles and other debris.

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In Upper Darby, a would-be rescuer was recovering after having been rescued himself Monday.

When a flash flood roared into the township, Police Officer Travis Hall began helping stranded motorists, pulling them from their cars and getting them to safety.

As the 23-year-old officer walked to his car in the parking lot of AutoZone on the 7100 block of Marshall Road, a sewer outlet swirled beneath his feet, sucking in water and debris, said Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood.

"It drug him down," Chitwood said. "His legs went right out from underneath him."

Soon, Chitwood said, Hall was submerged. A passerby grabbed Hall's arm, and four public works employees joined in pulling Hall to safety, he said.

"The five of them saved the guy from drowning," Chitwood said. If it were not for them, "we would probably still be looking for him in the creek."

Hall was taken to Delaware County Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for leg lacerations and released later Monday, Chitwood said. The department gave him the next few days off to recover.

At the King of Prussia Mall, where flooding occurred on the lower level, 36 stores, many of them in the food court, remained closed Tuesday. Food businesses were awaiting a health inspector to clear them for reopening, a mall spokesman said.

The weather service said high-end rain totals included 7.83 inches at Parkway Pines in Ocean County, 5.58 inches in Wayne, and 5.35 inches at West Norriton.

In contrast, the official rain total from the day as measured at Philadelphia International Airport was 0.52 inches. The Philadelphia record for the date was 5.21 inches in 1873, less than what fell in Wayne and West Norriton on Monday.

Gov. Murphy on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in the five counties hardest hit by flooding: Ocean, Monmouth, Essex, Bergen, and Passaic. The declaration allows the state to focus resources on the affected counties when requested.

Officials continued to warn motorists to not drive into standing water.

"Floodwater is murky: You may not be able to tell how deep the water is," Philadelphia's Office of Emergency Management warned residents on Twitter.

The skies are expected to clear overnight, with sun and a high of 90 predicted for Wednesday. Partly sunny skies and a high of 91 are expected Thursday. There is a chance of thunderstorms from Friday through Sunday, but forecasters say the weekend should be mostly dry.