When Summer Weather Turns Deadly: ‘It Was Like a Biblical Event,’ Says Man Whose Parents Died in Flooding

"This huge wall of water came at everybody," Zack DePiero tells PEOPLE in this week's issue

On July 15, Zack DePiero texted his mother a news article about people dying in the flash flood near their home in Bucks County, Penn. The next day, he learned both his parents were among the five adults and two children who drowned in the sudden, unprecedented weather event.

“It was like a biblical event,” DePiero, 40, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue.

“One minute it was up to your shins, and cars were moving around and it was very scary and people were trying to run for cover, and then the next minute it was up over their head," he shares, recounting what one survivor said at the vigil for the victims. “In addition to the super heavy instant rainfall, at that exact moment, all of the creeks also converged and just this huge wall of water came at everybody.”

Related: Search Ends for 9-Month-Old Boy Swept Away by Pennsylvania Flood that Killed His Sister and Mom

Climate change plays a huge role in flash floods, says Michael Mann, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

“A warmer atmosphere has more moisture, so when it rains, you’re going to get more of it," explains Mann, author of the upcoming book, Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth's Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis."We certainly have seen that here in Pennsylvania this summer."

"We've seen such an extreme summer with so many unprecedented extreme weather events that many people are asking, "Have we gone past the tipping point? Is it too late to act? Is it too late to prevent things from spinning out of control?"" Mann says. "We can still prevent truly catastrophic consequences, but that window of opportunity is undoubtedly shrinking. Basically, we've got a decade now — really less than 10 years — to dramatically decarbonize the infrastructure of our civilization if we are to avert truly catastrophic levels of warming."

For more on extreme weather, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

DePiero, who moved to Bucks County — where his mom and dad purchased a 3.5-acre plot in 1998 to build their dream home — to be closer to his parents, saw them for the last time days before their death.

That Saturday, 78-year-old Enzo DePiero and 74-year-old Linda DePiero went out to dinner at their favorite restaurant, which was just 15 minutes away from home.

“My mom was always trying to get out of the house, my dad’s always trying to stay in,” says DePiero of his parents, who had just celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary “This was a compromise."

“We all knew it was going to rain,” he adds. “But we didn’t know there would be floods. This was all a big surprise.”

On Saturday, DePiero texted his mother at 4:22 p.m. saying, "Think it's going to rain?" DePiero's mother texted him back minutes later telling him they were out to eat. She said it was a "tad hot," but at least the restaurant wasn't crowded. He texted her back around 6 p.m. saying, “I hope you didn’t get caught in this.”

“She was already dead,” he says. He estimates his parents died between 5 and 5:30 p.m.

His father’s body was found later that evening, near others who lost their lives in the flood. His mother was found the next day about a mile away from the car.

"People had to escape the cars. The water was rising over the window," DePiero says. "It was drown in your car or get out."

Related: New York Woman Dies After Being 'Swept Away' in Front of Fiancé amid '1,000-Year' Storm

DePiero’s watched news reports about what to do in a flash flood, like get to higher ground or roll down your windows as an escape route, but he says there isn't a one-size fits all solution since every flood seems to be a case-by-case basis.

“I think maybe no matter what you do, your odds are very slim,” he says.

“My dad knew how to swim – he wasn’t Michael Phelps, but he knew how to swim," he shares, adding that his dad was in "great shape" as well.

"If I were in that position, I don't know what you do except hope the laws of chaos don't take you down with them," he adds.

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