PITTSTON TWP., LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — People in Pittston Township are evacuated from their homes tonight after a powerful storm ripped through their neighborhood. Crews rushed to Chapel Road this afternoon to rescue several people stuck in their homes.



“It was devastating,” said Dave Elmore, deputy coordinator for Luzerne Co. EMA.



People trapped in their homes — flash floods — and uprooted trees, a violent storm takes a toll on this Pittston Township neighborhood.



“There’s some significant damage, walls that are blown down, roofs blown off, vehicles crushed under trees, there’s a lot of damage,” said Asst. Chief Anthony Angelella, Jr. with the Pittston Twp. Volunteer Fire Department.



Crews were called to chapel road just before three. A lot of manpower was needed to get families to safety. Many of the roads were blocked by fallen trees and downed power lines.



“We needed to use special UTVs to get through the tree lines and backyards to get people a ride out,” said Angelella.



Six families were evacuated from their homes. About 40 houses in this neighborhood were affected by the storm — including a dozen that were significantly damaged. The red cross was there to help people find a place to stay.



“We’re working with about a half a dozen families who are displaced from their homes at this time,” said Dave Skutnik with the American Red Cross.



The area has been declared a disaster zone.



“We’ll be back Sunday morning to go door to door to see what other families need red cross assistance,” said Skutnik.



“We’ll be here until the job is finished,” said Elmore.



The National Weather Service will arrive at the emergency operations center around 9:30 a.m. Sunday. They will then assess the damage in Pittston Township and determine if a tornado was to blame.