The local woman who was trapped in her basement for three days is speaking out for the first time.
Rosalyn Willis, 59, was checking an electrical problem in her Douglass Township home over the weekend when her basement stairway collapsed, leaving her submerged in four feet of water and sewage. With no phone near her and nothing to eat or drink, she remained trapped until Tuesday night. That’s when a friend who was checking on her found her and called 911.
It took rescue crews around 4 hours to safely remove her. She was then taken to Reading Hospital where she is currently receiving treatment for dehydration. The woman tells NBC10 she wasn’t injured.
“If this had been a week earlier, this lady may not have had the same outcome,” said Douglass Township Police Chief David Franke. “We don’t know what’s in the basement. It could be fuel oil from a heater. It could be fecal matter, any kind of surge, anything like that. So we had to take the precautions for the rescuers at this point.”
Police say Willis’ home was crumbling from lack of repairs. The township condemned the house. Police say they previously didn’t know anyone was living inside the house. Township officials say Willis can move back in after she gets a number of repairs made.
