Path of destruction

Hurricane Ivan remembered 20 years later

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A motorist whose sedan became stuck in floodwater at Chartiers Run and Plum Run roads in Chartiers Township is rescued by the driver of a pickup truck Sept. 17, 2004, during heavy rain caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ivan.

Observer-Reporter

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The water-ruined belongings of families on South Main Street in Houston are piled along the curb in front of a house that was so badly damaged by flooding spawned by Hurricane Ivan that it was condemned.

Observer-Reporter

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A resident of Rose Street moves to safety after floodwaters from heavy rain created by the remnants of Hurricane Ivan overwhelmed Washington Estates trailer park in Canton Township.

Observer-Reporter

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Twenty years ago, on Sept. 17, 2004, the remnants of Hurricane Ivan passed through Washington County, dumping as much as 6 inches of rain in some parts and laying a path of destruction in its wake.

The hurricane that moved northward after pounding Florida stalled over Western Pennsylvania, sending creeks over its banks across Washington County, resulting in widespread flooding from Peters and Cecil townships to Canton, Chartiers and Smith townships, and Houston, Canonsburg, McDonald and Burgettstown boroughs.

Already saturated weeks prior by the remains of Hurricane Frances, the ground simply could not handle Ivan’s onslaught.

When the rain ended, the cleanup began and the damage was assessed. All told, four businesses, 100 mobile homes, 25 single-family homes and one multifamily home had been destroyed in the county and hundreds more sustained serious damage.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency paid out $4.592 million in Washington County, the third highest amount in the state. Allegheny County topped the list with $19 million in claims.