Early morning water main break in Washington County causes damage to nearly two-century-old home
A wild scene unfolded in Washington County this morning after a water main break sent water shooting out of McCombs Road, slamming directly into a 170-year-old home.
Video shared by the homeowners shows water gushing from the street and pounding into the Tucker family's century-and-a-half-old home.
"Everything in this house...this is going to make me cry now. We've worked so hard to restore the house. We don't want to remodel it," said Kimberly Tucker, homeowner.
Rob and Kim Tucker said they woke up to what sounded like a storm, but quickly realized it was something else entirely.
"Is there a tornado? Hail or what? And then I go into the living room and there's water coming in," said Rob Tucker.
"He said, 'I wonder if it's a tornado,' and then he goes out the back door…there's no rain. So, he starts walking, and that's when we saw the water main break," said Kimberly Tucker.
The road was littered with debris from the road and torn up by a massive hole. For the Tuckers, the focus is on protecting their home.
"Now I have to worry about the living room floor and the walls and the windows, the ceiling," said Rob Tucker.
While neighbors deal with flooding and washed-out yards, the Tuckers are taking every step possible to preserve their home, which has stood for nearly two centuries.
"This house has stood for 170 years, and now this is going to ruin it… but I think it's going to be okay, I hope. I have my grandsons in there moving things," said Kimberly Tucker.
"We'll get through it," said Rob Tucker.
According to Pennsylvania American Water, 28 customers were affected by the break. Crews estimate it will take between 6 to 8 hours to fully restore service.