States of emergency were declared in several county towns, and more than 500 people were evacuated and taken to shelters set up in schools and government buildings, authorities said.
Despite what is thought to be extensive property damage, no injuries were reported, he said.
Firefighters, police officers and other workers helped people from their homes. Some people were rescued from the roofs of their cars when the deluge made roadways impassable. In some cases, boats had to be used, Tuno said.
``First they started with one family and then another family and then it rapidly escalated,'' Tuno said.
The most rainfall in the county was recorded in Tabernacle, where about 13 inches fell, according to the National Weather Service.
In the town of North East in Cecil County, Md., about a dozen people were left homeless, and a state road from Aberdeen to Havre de Grace was closed for several hours.
In Havre de Grace, some 3 to 5 inches of rain fell Monday afternoon, and at one point water was 8 to 10 feet deep in some streets, according to Mia Kilgore, police communications operator.
In eastern Pennsylvania, the rain sent a mass of water, rock and dirt cascading into a bowling alley in Pottsville.
John Bova, a custodian at Westwood Lanes, said he and his wife heard a loud rumble Monday as an embankment collapsed at the rear of the building.
``The mountain just came down,'' Bova said. ``We were lucky to get out.''
Near Reading, Tammy Spiese was trying to clear debris when rising water trapped her in a drainage pipe. She was pulled out by of the pipe by her husband, Kris, and a police officer summoned to the scene.
``I was in the water up to my neck,'' Spiese said. ``It was very powerful and I had to hold onto the rocks above.''
