Non-Surgical Knee Pain and Arthritis Specialists in New Castle, DE

SHERWOOD PARK, Del. (CBS) -- A scary scene in New Castle County, Delaware when power poles snapped and the live wires trapped several people inside their cars. The poles are still dangling over the street and the wires are running across the road, blocking several people from being able to leave their driveway.

Take a look at this white pickup, you can see the wires on top of the hood.

CBS Philadelphia was told two people were trapped inside the truck and two others were trapped inside another SUV and had to be rescued. They're all safe but now the question is how long before this is all cleaned up.

"It was like an explosion, crazy, it was something out of the movies for sure," Christine Zambrana said.

Zambrana was with her family Tuesday night when the powerful and dangerous winds snapped six power poles outside her home.

They came crashing down on Milltown Road in Sherwood Park, knocking out power.

RELATED: Power outage map: Heavy rainstorm leaves thousands without power across Philadelphia area

"It was like a big crackle and then we heard a boom and then we all ran downstairs to the family room because we were all screaming 'Get away from the windows,'" Cali Swingle said.

The live power lines fell on top of a white pickup truck and SUV, trapping the four people inside both cars. Firefighters said it took about an hour before the power was shut off and all four people were safely rescued.

RELATED: Storm damage today: What to know about insurance claims after major system in Philadelphia

"Our power is down for right now but thank God we didn't have any fires and thank God the people out of the cars made it out without any issues," Angel Garcia said.

Cleanup is underway in Hockessin after several trees toppled over in yards near the Quail Ridge development. At least four cars were partially submerged in floodwaters outside the Gander Hill Prison in Wilmington Wednesday afternoon.

"This is not what we wanted to start the year with, so it's very stressful," Zambrana said.

Back on Milltown Road, Zambrana showed CBS Philadelphia her backyard where two trees and power lines landed on her home.

She said the damage could be worse but now they're dealing with power surges and intermittent outages.

"We're trying to charge our electronics as much as we can because we are expecting the power to go out with all the work they're gonna have to do," she said.

Delmarva Power said there's no timetable on when this will be fixed. Crews are out in the area still assessing the damage and said it could take several days.

About 65,000 customers were without power in New Castle County at the height of the storm. CBS Philadelphia was told that number is now around 6,500.

Ryan Hughes

Ryan Hughes joined CBS News Philadelphia in June 2022. He previously worked at WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he's covered stories ranging from weeks on the Surfside condo collapse, to the impact of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, and the Super Bowl in Miami.

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New Castle County is under a flood warning until 8 a.m. Wednesday, and residents are being asked to avoid driving Tuesday night as a powerful storm pounds Delaware with heavy rains and tropical storm-speed wind gusts.

The National Weather Service has forecast periods of intense and heavy rain with high winds for Tuesday evening, which could cause small stream, river flooding and coastal flooding – especially in the upper Delaware Bay. The Delaware Bay at Reedy Point is forecasted to crest at 9.1 feet, which is near the record of 9.24 feet that was set on April 16, 2011.

The New Castle County's Office of Emergency Management said no evacuations are planned, but officials expect Delaware City to be "temporarily inaccessible for a period."

The strong winds, which hit 59 mph at Wilmington Airport, have caused power outages throughout the state. Delmarva Power has reported 288 outages in Delaware affecting 12,712 customers as of 6:53 p.m., with the majority of outages in New Castle County. Delaware Electric Cooperative has also reported outages in Kent and Sussex counties, with 2,841 customers affected as of Tuesday night.

How long will the storm last in Delaware?

The heavy rains will continue through Tuesday night and into early Wednesday morning. According to AccuWeather.com, the rain will end around 4 a.m. Wednesday. The high winds will calm down starting at 3 a.m.

The flood warning for New Castle County will last until 8 a.m. Wednesday. The coastal flood warning will expire at 1 a.m. Wednesday. The flood watch for Delaware will last until 6 p.m. Wednesday.

How much rain will Delaware get?

The National Weather Service forecast is calling for Wilmington to receive 2 to 3 inches of rain. Most of the state will receive 1.5 to 2 inches of rain. The far southern portions of the state will receive 1 to 1.5 inches of rain.

Get real-time 24-hour rainfall totals on Delaware Online. At 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Hockessin was leading with more than 2 inches of rain.

How to drive in heavy rains

While New Castle County Emergency Management is asking people not to drive Tuesday night, if you have to go out, here are some tips from AAA.com.

The Belgian star has been struggling with a groin strain, and played through the pain against Liverpool last time out, and was subsequently left out of Belgium’s squad for friendlies against England and Ireland.

Also missing is goalkeeper Ederson, who was forced to come off during their 1-1 draw with the Reds, but Stefan Ortega is the club’s cup goalkeeper in any case.

"Kevin's not ready,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday. “He already played in Anfield with some problems. But he's getting better. He's not ready for tomorrow. We spoke with Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco and he decided.

"I'm grateful because he didn't feel good and he could recover for the rest of the season. He played well (against Liverpool). All the players have problems, but the day after he didn't feel good, it's better to take care.

"Eddie (Ederson) is getting better, hopefully he'll be ready after the international break. Tomorrow, for sure (he will not play). He'll have two weeks off then, he'll recover, we'll see how he feels."

Guardiola also confirmed Jack Grealish has returned from a groin injury and will be a part of the squad. Grealish has not played since their 6-2 win over Luton Town in the FA Cup fifth round.

City are facing Newcastle for the fourth time this season, having beaten them twice in the league, but Eddie Howe's side knocked them out of the League Cup in September.

"This season and previous ones, since Eddie Howe was there and the people from Saudi Arabia took over (the club), it's always been tight games. We don't expect anything different," Guardiola said.

"We have an incredible chance at home with our people. We need the support of our fans in home games like we had against Manchester United (in a 3-1 comeback win), I don't remember that environment for a long time.

"Tomorrow isn't an exception. We need it to reach the semi-final at Wembley again."

A number of communities in New Castle and Kent counties are now seeing snow accumulation of more than 5 inches, prompting the Delaware Department of Transportation and the Delaware Emergency Management Agency to issue a travel advisory.

The snow, which had reached 5.8 inches in Blackbird, 5.3 inches in New Castle, 5.3 inches in Smyrna and 5.1 inches in Talleyville as of 9:15 p.m. Friday, is expected to continue falling throughout the evening.

Given the continued precipitation, DelDOT and DEMA are urging residents to stay off the roads.

Both agencies said the advisory is not an official driving warning, which is issued during inclement weather. A Level 1 warning already had been issued this week, however.

The Friday afternoon advisory is "meant to caution motorists of adverse weather conditions and to stay off roads if possible. If driving is necessary, motorists are urged to use caution and common sense," a news release said.

According to the National Weather Service, radar shows "moderate to occasionally heavy snow continuing to move across the area." The agency has predicted as much as 6 inches of snow in Kent and New Castle counties.

The weather agency said the region's snow is mostly centered along the I-95 corridor from Wilmington to Philadelphia to Trenton. The weather service also said it's possible to see snowfall rates of 0.5 to 1 inch per hour, which could significantly reduce the road visibility to a half-mile to a quarter of a mile.

DRIVING IN THE SNOW:Bad weather can lead to various driving restrictions. Here's what to know in Delaware

Where is it accumulating?

Flurries, which began as early as 5 a.m. on Friday, have since turned into heavier snow, with an inch or more falling in an hour in some areas of Kent County.

While the southernmost part of Sussex County has seen little snow, the rest of that county has reported some accumulation. Ellendale has seen the most, with 4 inches.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for the Delaware beaches until 10 p.m., predicting up to an inch of snow and slippery roads.

These are Delaware snow accumulation amounts as of 9:15 p.m. Friday:

New Castle County

Kent County

Sussex County

Temperatures will rapidly drop into the teens late Friday night causing untreated roads to become icy and dangerous. Areas of blowing snow are possible over the weekend.

Delaware has already lowered the speed limit on I-495 from 65 mph to 55 mph. The state Department of Transportation is also reminding motorists that bridges and overpasses freeze before roadways.

"Heavy ice" from a storm earlier this week, caused several crashes on Tuesday resulting in large stretches of highways being closed — including I-495.

More:Various Delaware roads reopen after 'heavy ice' causes crashes, road closures

Closures

Several offices and businesses across the state reported closures and delays.

Snow day:What schools are closed, remote learning on Friday ahead of expected snowstorm

A winter storm warning has been issued for northern Delaware and is in effect until 10 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. The storm is forecast to deliver up to 6 inches of snow to northern Delaware causing hazardous travel conditions.

Sussex County, which is under a winter weather advisory, is experiencing rain with a mix of snow toward the coast.

Storm

The latest storm will spread accumulating snow and travel disruptions across 18 states in the Midwest and Northeast, home to 115 million people, into Friday night, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. Arctic air will pour in following the storm, resulting in the coldest winter weekend so far for much of the eastern United States.

The area most likely to pick up a foot of snow, according to AccuWeather, is the mountains of West Virginia.

This area of moderate to heavy snow may extend into southern New Jersey and Delaware, which would put a plowable snowstorm in play from Washington to Philadelphia and to the west. Enough snow to shovel and plow could extend to Cincinnati, Atlantic City and Dover.

Weekend highs across the state will hover in the mid to upper 20s on Saturday, inching up into the 30s by Sunday. Delaware can expect to see highs in the 50s later next week — around Wednesday and Thursday.

How much snow will Delaware see?

Here are the latest projections for Delaware:

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or [email protected]. Got a tip? Send to Isabel Hughes at [email protected] or 302-324-2785. For all things breaking news, follow her on X at @izzihughes_

Cameron Goodnight

The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking the input of New Castle community members on a cleanup effort at a contaminated waste dump.

The EPA hosted a meeting at the Route 9 Library & Innovation Center, which is less than 7 miles away from the East Basin Road Groundwater site, on Tuesday, Aug. 22. The site is a recent addition to the Superfund list, a federal program that provides taxpayer dollars for the nation’s most contaminated sites.

New Castle’s inclusion on the list is due to contaminants that were discovered in public drinking water, including chemicals known as PFAS, which have lingered in the area’s groundwater. The contaminants have impacted 11 drinking wells in the area, according to the EPA.

The EPA is working on a characterization study to investigate the site and determine cleanup options. Potential sources of contamination near the area’s drinking water wells also include the Delaware Air National Guard Base, New Castle Airport, the Duncan Readiness Center and the Army Aviation Support Facility, according to the EPA.

Completion of an investigation phase could take years, according to EPA Remedial Program Manager Christian Matta.

"By the end of this year, we will have our contractors in place and sometime in early 2024, we should be working with a group of companies that will be undertaking the delineation of the contamination," Matta said.

Matta and other representatives of the EPA asked for the public’s assistance in cleaning up the site through a Community Advisory Group. The group is expected to open the lines of communication between New Castle residents, the EPA and the state regulatory agency. It will also allow members to discuss their needs and concerns about the Superfund decision-making process.

So, who is permitted to be on the advisory group?

What are New Castle’s concerns?

U.S. EPA Public Information Officer John Brakeall, who led the meeting at the library, listened as several New Castle residents posed questions about the site and the community advisory group. Some asked about funding for the cleanup, potential health risks and the impact of the contamination.

Karen Igou, a New Castle resident who has a background in environmental justice, questioned the effectiveness of a cleanup.

"Prior to [2016], this was in the water ... and it isn't going anywhere; that's why they're called forever chemicals," Igou said. "I’m so curious as to how you would pull off this feat of moving this body of water and massive land."

Groundwater is the main source of drinking water in the New Castle area, which has a population of more than 5,000 people. The larger population served by the public wells in the New Castle area includes approximately 215,000 homes and businesses.

Ron Curtis, a 21-year resident of New Castle, urged the EPA to find out who has been dumping wastes at the 5,000-acre site all of these years.

“People like myself in the community have an interest in knowing who is responsible for some of this contamination,” Curtis said. "Some of us don't have [time] to wait and find out."

For more information about getting involved with the Superfund site, contact Brakeall at [email protected].

More:Hockessin aquifer now officially a Superfund site

Contact local reporter Cameron Goodnight at [email protected], or by calling or texting 302-324-2208. Follow him on Twitter at @CamGoodnight.