A year after deadly flash flooding in Bucks County, family members remember loved ones

A memorial of Enzo and Linda De Piero is displayed in the living room of their son Zack’s New Hope townhouse. Photos of the couple with their only child are placed alongside their obituary on top of a small table.

The couple of more than 40 years were among seven people, including two young children, who died last year during a flash flood in Upper Makefield, Bucks County.

The De Piero’s were driving home from dinner July 15, 2023, when their car, along with several other vehicles, was trapped by a wall of water that rushed down from the nearby Houghs Creek onto a 1-mile stretch of Washington Crossing Road.

Zack said his parents’ car was found with smashed windows and filled with mud. His father’s sandals and his mother’s purse were still inside, along with her cell phone — which contained photos of the raging waters.

“I would like to imagine her thinking that she would show [the photos] to us, ‘Can you believe what we were in last night?’” De Piero said. “But it didn’t quite work out that way.”

Linda De Piero’s body was discovered a mile from the scene one day later.

Zack’s house is filled with trinkets and photos of the family sharing happy memories together.

Scrabble pieces that read “Bitz,” Linda’s nickname given by her 5-year-old granddaughter, are displayed in her honor. Linda, known as the social butterfly of the family, enjoyed playing the board game with loved ones  — and kept a stockpile of greeting cards to hand out every holiday. Nearby, a wedding anniversary card Zack found tucked inside his father’s bedside drawer read:

“Enz, Happy 17th anniversary. No regrets. I’d do it again. Love always, L.”

An ornament with a painted soundwave from “The Way You Look Tonight” honors Enzo De Piero — the handyman who enjoyed building household items while listening to his favorite tunes on one of his dozen or so iPods. Zack said the Frank Sinatra song was still playing at his parents’ house after their death.

Zack said he doesn’t want to hide from the pain of losing his parents.

“I’d rather have them playing a central role in our day-to-day lives in spirit, to some degree, just like they did in the flesh when they were here,” he said. “There will come a point where I can look back on all these days and remember how nice and happy it was. But that time has not come … It hurts a lot.”

This month marks the one-year anniversary of the deaths of Enzo De Piero, 78, and Linda De Piero, 74, of Newtown; Kathryn “Katie” Seley, 32, Matilda Sheils, 2, and Conrad Sheils, 9 months, of Charleston, South Carolina; Yuko Love, 64, of Newtown; and Susan Barnhart, 53, of Titusville, New Jersey.

In 2023, there were 10 flood-related deaths in Pennsylvania, according to the National Weather Service. That’s the highest number of flood-related deaths in the state since 2011, when there were 16 deaths.

Nationally, while tornado- and hurricane-related deaths have gradually declined over the past few decades, average flood-related deaths have remained steady, according to the agency. Heat is the only weather event that has caused more fatalities over a 10-year average.

As climate change could make for heavier rainfalls, officials are working to educate the public about floods and how to protect themselves. The Philadelphia region itself is prone to flash flooding — including outside of floodplains.

“Flood fatalities and injuries have been stubbornly too high. It’s really been a challenge to get the word out,” said Sarah Johnson, a warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Mt. Holly, New Jersey.

Vehicles are involved in nearly half of all flood-related deaths nationwide, she added.

“People think they can drive through a flooded roadway, not understanding that less than two feet of water can wash away most passenger vehicles,” Johnson said. “And it doesn’t always get the attention that something more dramatic, like a hurricane or a tornado gets.”

In Upper Makefield, however, emergency management officials said the victims didn’t drive through the flood. Instead, they were trapped as the water rushed down around them.

Stormwater experts say the Houghs Creek watershed is steeper than other waterways in the area, and rainwater collects quickly from several directions — making it possible for the creek to rise rapidly.

Dave Love and his wife Yuko were on their way home from a shopping trip in Princeton. Yuko loved fashion, food and finding deals so much, friends called her the “professional shopper.”

The couple of almost 33 years cut their trip short because of the rain — putting them in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Love said he was driving on Washington Crossing Road when several vehicles stopped suddenly. After turning around, the couple saw water catching up with their Tesla. Their car was lifted by the water, sending it in the direction of another vehicle.

As the water came towards them more rapidly, the couple decided to get out of their car and walk down the road. However, the flooding worsened and carried them away in different directions.

After Dave Love lifted his head above water, he was able to cling onto a tree, breaking his arm during the struggle, until emergency responders rescued him.

Yuko didn’t survive.

“I sincerely believe that we were the victims of climate change,” Dave Love said.

A year later, Love said he’s trying to resume the activities he enjoyed with his trip-planning wife, such as going to a Broadway play or musical, in order to heal. Love said one year, the couple saw 26 shows in New York City — dining at different restaurants while there. He always ordered something different off the menu, so his “foodie” wife could eat off his plate.

But Love still can’t get himself to visit one of their favorite Japanese grocery stores in New Jersey, unsure of what to buy without the guidance of his wife, who grew up in Tokyo.

“Shopping in general, whether it’s food, or clothes, or whatever, is probably the most painful, because that was her thing,” Love said.

Katie Seley, her fiancé and their three young children were going to a barbeque at her future father-in-law’s house.

The family, along with Seley’s mother, got swept away in floodwaters. Seley’s mother Dahlia, fiancé Jim and son Jack survived the flood. Katie did not survive, along with two of her children; Mattie, who only ever wanted to be around her mother; and Conrad, who had recently learned how to crawl.

Katie was very close with her older sister Josie Villalobos, who describes her sister as athletic, witty and social — and the “mediator” of the family. Villalobos, who’s 10 years older, said in recent years she offered her sister parenting advice.

“My sister and I were best friends. She is the funniest person I know. I miss her so much all the time,” Villalobos said. “This was just such a shock. Not something we ever saw coming. And it really broke me. So, I got a lot of help. I really needed it … We’ll never be okay, but we are definitely closer as a family — all of us.”

Officials say the flash flood happened so suddenly, it was difficult to prepare residents. The storm was isolated, making it difficult for people to understand the danger.

The incident also did not trigger a wireless emergency alert, which is not issued for every type of flash flood.

“Looking back, we weren’t getting quite as many of the real-time reports, so we didn’t realize at the time how severe the flooding had been,” said Johnson of the National Weather Service. “That’s something we’ve reviewed, and we’ll certainly learn from for future events.”

Upper Makefield Township manager David Nyman said the tragedy moved the township to take another look at its stormwater infrastructure. The township hired engineering firm Gilmore & Associates to study various projects that would capture and slow down rainwater to help prevent Houghs Creek from flooding during large storms.

The township has also secured funding for a high-water-rescue vehicle, and an ATV to access difficult-to-reach areas.

Villalobos said she’s pleased to see the local community take action in response to the tragedy. She said she hopes it will persuade officials to take climate-related issues more seriously.

“This is definitely climate-driven,” Villalobos said. “This was a very unusual weather event, something that does not regularly happen — and shouldn’t happen.”

MaryAnne Tierney, a regional administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said communities can build their resiliency by having fewer impervious surfaces and improving sewer systems. FEMA is providing grants to help cities reduce flooding, she said.

“Most urban sewer systems are only designed to really manage about an inch of rain per hour,” Tierney said. “But with some of these more severe storms, [there’s] multiple inches of rain per hour.”

To honor the victims, the township plans to launch a butterfly garden in Brownsburg Park, while The Crossing church in Upper Makefield is seeking donations to create a garden, where three trees were donated and planted.

Love, who met his wife Yuko while singing together in their college choir, said the Allegheny College Choir Fund, formed by the couple, plans to change its name in Yuko’s honor.

Love, Villalobos and De Piero say they’re grateful for the support they’ve received from the community over the past year, and wish every person suffering a loss could experience the same help.

Villalobos, who said she still feels very close to her sister, said she’s learned a lot about loss.

“This is just something that could happen to anybody at any time  — whether it’s a cancer diagnosis, or it’s a sudden death, it’s a car accident,” she said. “I don’t take my family for granted. I’m thankful for them all the time. I am learning to live with a great deal of pain, and learning to take things one hour at a time, when I can’t bear it.”