4 Dead After Powerful Storms Rip Through Southeastern PA

SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA — Four people are dead after powerful storms cut through the region on Wednesday, bringing down trees and power lines and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of area residents. The powerful storm, known as a derecho, brought winds up to around 80 miles per hour to the region and caused significant property damage as well.

One of the deaths occurred in Lower Moreland Township at the Philmont Country Club, according to the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety.

The victim, Justin Riegel, 34, was an employee of the club who became trapped after a tree came down on the building. Riegel and his wife were expecting a child, according to a GoFundMe that was launched Wednesday to support his family.

Two more were killed by fallen trees in Lower Merion Township, authorities said, where the fire department responded to a total of 94 incidents within 24 hours.

According to 6ABC, one of those individuals has been identified as Jean Biegalski, 49, of Roxborough, who was driving on Belmont Avenue near Rock Hill Road. Another victim was killed in his vehicle on Medford Road in the Wynnewood section.

Additionally, in Wallingford down in Delaware County, a house fire claimed a man's life amidst the storm. Authorities are investigating the incident.

All told, Montgomery County alone received 1,537 calls for assistance in a single one-hour period from noon to 1 p.m. That included numerous fires and fallen trees, as well as major property damage.

In Lansdale, a 150-unit apartment building saw its roof largely destroyed by the storm. Residents were evacuated and many of them were displaced, officials said. The Red Cross is working with the borough to find housing for those individuals.

The storm knocked out power to numerous long-term care facilities as well, throwing a wrench into an already high-stress situation where sensitive populations are battling coronavirus outbreaks. A total of 12 facilities were still using emergency generators as of Wednesday evening. Montgomery County officials said "special consideration" was being to given to keeping residents with coronavirus in isolation despite the disruptions.

The height of the storm in the area was recorded in Pottstown by a trained spotter, the National Weather Service in Mt. Holly said. The speed of the wind gusts there was 76 miles per hour at 11:59 a.m.

The storm left around 133,000 without power in Montgomery County and 65,000 in Bucks County, in addition to tens of thousands more in Philadelphia, Chester, and Delaware counties. While many outages had been repaired as of Thursday morning, there were still 174,000 outages as of 10:45 a.m.