Eastern States Hit by Rain and Twisters : Massachusetts and Pennsylvania Take Brunt of Storms

A powerful storm unleashed a deluge on parts of the Northeast today, flooding streets in parts of Massachusetts with up to six feet of water, while twisters downed trees and tore roofs off homes in Philadelphia and south-central Pennsylvania.

At least two people were reported killed in weather-related traffic accidents. A dam in southwestern Pennsylvania that appeared to be moving threatened homes and forced 13 families to evacuate. They returned later in the morning.

Two inches of rain were recorded in an hour today at Boston’s Logan International Airport, for a total of more than four inches. In Worcester, Mass., a boulevard was under six feet of water, and Police Capt. Reginal Needham said water was four feet deep on streets around the city’s Centrum stadium.

Chaos Everywhere

“Just about everywhere you travel, there is chaos,” he said.

Roads in Boston, including a major commuting route, also were shut down. The rain also flooded a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority tunnel, halting some subway service.

In Philadelphia, a twister swept through the city’s East Falls and Germantown sections, leaving a path of fallen trees, downed wires and damaged homes.

Another tornado leveled a barn and damaged buildings as it swept through part of Cumberland County, and severe storms moved through Lancaster County.

Two workmen were injured and taken to hospitals in Lancaster County after a storm wrecked two homes under construction.

Motorists Trapped

Highway flooding was reported in several communities in eastern Pennsylvania. Flash-flooding trapped motorists in their cars near Coopersburg.

In Labelle, Pa., 13 families were evacuated as a coal washing pond approached overflowing and showed signs it could rupture following more than two inches of rain in the area near the West Virginia state line. But the residents were allowed to return later as workers continued efforts to shore up the dam.

Several auto accidents were reported in Pennsylvania, including a collision on a “soaking wet” highway in Elizabeth Township that killed a Lebanon couple and seriously injured their 14-year-old daughter.

No injuries were reported in the Cumberland County tornado, but about a dozen homes and a number of vehicles were damaged in a three-mile stretch.