100K Being Evacuated in PA as Susquehanna River Flood Fears Intensify
- Posted on September 8, 2011 at 10:20am by
Billy Hallowell
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David Clouser wades neck-deep to retrieve his boat in the swollen Conodoguinet Creek in Hampden Township, Pa., on Wednesday. (AP Photo)
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (The Blaze/AP) — Officials in northeastern Pennsylvania called for a mandatory evacuation of more than 100,000 residents living along the Susquehanna River on Thursday due to expected flooding. The area was inundated in the historic Agnes flood of 1972. For live streaming coverage watch WNEP news.
Luzerne County Management Agency official Frank Lasiewicki told The Associated Press Thursday the river is projected to crest at 41 feet between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday – the same height as the levee system protecting riverfront communities including Wilkes-Barre and Kingston.
Residents were ordered to leave by 4 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton said residents should prepare for an extended evacuation of 72 hours and advised them to take clothing, food and prescription medicine. He also asked city businesses to close their doors by noon.
The evacuations come as the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee dumped heavy rain and caused havoc around the Northeast on Thursday, bringing floods that cut off major highways and caused some schools to open late or not at all.
Flood watches and warnings were in effect from Maryland to New England.
Roads and highways were closed around the region. In Philadelphia, flooding and a rock slide closed the eastbound lanes of the Schuylkill Expressway, a major artery into the city, and it could take hours for the road to reopen. In New York, the Thruway Authority expected Thursday to close a 105-mile stretch of Interstate 90 where it runs along the Mohawk River, which had overflowed its banks in some areas. It‘s the state’s most heavily traveled east-west highway.
In eastern New York, thousands of people were expected to evacuate the flood-battered Binghamton area Thursday, and some schools were closed in the surrounding area.
Emergency management officials in Broome County ordered additional evacuations early Thursday for Binghamton neighborhoods near where the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers converge. Mandatory evacuation orders were also issued for the neighboring villages. In all, some 10,000 residents in the county were under mandatory evacuation, officials said.
Two rain-related deaths were reported in Pennsylvania. Police in Derry Township said a man who was removing water from his basement was killed when the house’s foundation collapsed, and a motorist trapped in a vehicle drowned early Thursday morning in Elizabeth Township, in Lancaster County.
“Now it’s getting on my last nerves,” said Carol Slater, 53, of Huntersfield, N.Y., on the northern edge of New York’s Catskill Mountains and just outside of hard-hit Prattsville.
The National Weather Service predicted rain would continue to fall heavily across the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states through Thursday with anywhere from 4 to 7 more inches falling and up to 10 inches in isolated pockets.
In Pennsylvania, rain set off flash flooding across a wide swath of the state, shutting down roads, closing some schools and forcing evacuations.
“The same areas are getting hit repeatedly,” by rain, said Larry Nierenberg, a national weather service spokesman who monitors an area that includes Greater Philadelphia and most of New Jersey.
A bridge spanning the Delaware River between New Hope, Bucks County and Lambertville, N.J., closed Thursday morning after flood waters carried debris down river and into the first span.
In New York, Prattsville was cut off on Wednesday afternoon, its main roads covered with water as public works crews tried to dredge the creeks to alleviate the flooding. Trash bins stood in the mud-caked streets to collect debris left by Irene and the wreckage of houses destroyed by the earlier storm still dotted the area.
Heavy rain fell, and residents were ready to evacuate as the Schoharie Creek escaped its banks and smaller streams showed significant flooding.
“Businesses and residential areas were devastated before,” Wayne Speenburgh, chairman of the Greene County Legislature, said of Prattsville. “Downtown, there‘s nobody living because there’s no homes to live in.”
In nearby Middleburgh, dozens of residents were evacuated from temporary shelters set up in schools, many for the third time since Irene hit. Many businesses remained empty but were adorned with hopeful signs – like the one at Hubie’s Pizzeria – that they would reopen.
Flooding also led to voluntary evacuations in the Catskills town of Shandaken, Rotterdam Junction near Albany, and a section of Schenectady along the Mohawk River. Some schools in the Hudson Valley north of New York City closed or delayed start times.
Patrick Darling said he and wife Dawn are trying to keep their sense of humor while dealing with a second week of flooding.
“We have stress, lots of stress,” he said after using shovels to clear mud and debris from his neighbors’ homes. “We’ve been shoveling our stress out.”
Lee formed just off the Louisiana coast late last week and gained strength as it lingered in the Gulf for a couple of days. It dumped more than a foot of rain in New Orleans and trudged across Mississippi and Alabama.
Tornadoes spawned by Lee damaged hundreds of homes, and flooding knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people. Trees were uprooted and roads were flooded. Winds fanned wildfires in Louisiana and Texas, and the storm even kicked up tar balls on the Gulf Coast.
At least four people died.
A flood watch was in effect through Thursday afternoon in soggy Vermont but officials on Thursday said that rain has caused only minor problems in the state. Parts of the state are still recovering from flooding from the remnants of Irene, which was a tropical storm by the time it swept over the area.
Irene hit upstate New York and Vermont particularly hard, with at least 12 deaths in those areas and dozens of highways damaged or washed out. Several communities in Vermont were cut off entirely and required National Guard airdrops to get supplies.
In New Jersey, where many residents were still cleaning up after Irene, the remnants of Lee were expected to drop anywhere from 2 to 5 inches of rain. There was some flooding along rivers including the Passaic, which breached its banks during Irene and caused serious damage. Heavier flooding is expected Thursday.
Meanwhile, in the open Atlantic, Hurricane Katia brought rough surf to the East Coast but was not expected to make landfall in the U.S. Tropical Storm Maria also formed Wednesday far out in the Atlantic, but it was too soon to tell if and where it might make landfall.
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oliveoil
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 2:25pmI am praying for all of the people in this storm’s path. It does amaze me how the media tries to pick the most sensational stories, as always, to focus on. I have family living the the Hershey area of PA and was not finding much information until Binghamton became involved and now Wilkes-Barre evacuating so many (other than Accuweather and local news websites). I know the picture of the mobile home park is in Lebanon County, PA. There have been 5 deaths reported in that area now from record rainfall. Valleys not near water are filling up because the land just cannot handle so much water. People everywhere need our prayers and help if possible.
Report Post »TommyJH54
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 4:42pmOliveoil, I hope they are OK. I live about 40 minutes east of Hershey. From what I have been hearing on the police sanner and news, Middletown area and Harrisburg got it bad. Lebanon county has been extemely busy as well as here in Lancaster county. This has been a rough one.
Report Post »forcefield
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 1:48pmAs a resident of South Central Pa. my heart goes out to all the people that are experiencing the trauma of losing their homes and businesses to this flooding-I am in no danger here but many that I know are impacted by this.The people here are resilent and will be ok in time.Our hearts go out to you,and our prayers are with you.
Report Post »Seabee79
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 2:26pmAll is well, All is well, don’t worry be happy, Sen. Casey will get you people your piece of the pie.
Report Post »Wilkes barre , Scranton Pa all big liberal areas. he will take care of you.
I think I hear the fed printing presses starting up I mean after all they have to print 400 billion for obama‘s new none job bill so what’s an extra 2 billion or so for you guy’s.
Dumpster Baby
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 12:21pmThese people have no business living in an area prone to flooding. Let them all move. I don’t want my tax dollar going to people who make bad decisions.
Report Post »Half-pint
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 1:36pmDumpster – I live close to this area and we are NOT in flood zones!! There is flooding happening where it has never flooded before!! My heart goes out to all of these people!!! Hopefully you will keep them in your prayers as well!!
Report Post »PApeacemaker
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 12:08pmThis sucks I live near Lewisburg in Central PA & the Susq. river is like 3 miles from my house but Im up on a big hill so my house wont be flooded but Ill be surrounded by water & my roads will be flooded & shut down. I hate this crap!
Report Post »jersey
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 11:49amBeing from the area of Middleburgh & Schoharie, NY, the people were well on their way of cleaning up before FEMA arrived. Fema is there in force now, but it is the people and their strength that will rebuild Schoharie County. Donations can be sent to: SCCAP will accept cash and check, not credit cards. Put in memo “flood victims” Made out to SCCAP. And the address 795 East Main Street,Suite 5 Cobleskill, NY 12043. You can visit their website at sccapinc.org Please also pray for the victims of this flood and also for the rain to stop
Report Post »IndyPAGirl
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 11:44amI live above Wilkes Barre. They are saying right now the river is expected to crest at 40.7 feet, with the river rising at the rate of more than a foot per hour. This is at levels the same as 1972 when hurrican Agnes came to town, and the Wyoming Valley was devastated. There are a lot of poor people in Wilkes Barre, with few resources. We aren’t New Orleans, but poor is the same no matter where you live and I ask that instead of making this a political issue, or a joke, that you take a moment and pray for the people who are being displaced today
Report Post »santramir
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 11:40amin the meanwhile, the fed keeps filling european banksters pockets!! stop the fed now!!
rightnowio
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 11:36amBinghamton flooding in pictures – http://goo.gl/PwLVA
Report Post »jijbarton
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 11:36amI live along the Susquehanna in Montgomery, PA and it is suppose to be really bad. Luckily we live on top of the hill, so we are ok. They cancelled all of the local schools, closed my work for today, a lot of roads closed…….Please pray for all those who this effects. So sad….
Report Post »mom4times
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 11:29amThe story failed to mention the rest of those in the Mohawk valley who are also flooded out by small streams….scanner has been going constantly since last night with trees down….flooded roads….multiple schools canceled yesterdays afterschool activities as well as closing today….school just started yesterday
Report Post »Lamar The Revenger
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 11:20amI live north of the little town of Manheim, PA & they are in lock down mode there. Officials have ran out of barricades. Only way out is north, but you’re not gonna get too far. (Luckily I live past the major stuff.) Hershey PA also got hit pretty bad too. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers..
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 11:08amGod help these people through this disaster ahead of them, keep them safe and whole; for stuff can be replaced, not human life.
In the face of this pending disaster how long until the Progressive media starts claiming:
Blame Bush
Report Post »Blame Conservatives
Blame Tea Party (Gods vengence)
Verifies Global Warming nonsense
Need more massive spending programs
Soros will find a way to benefit.
Mateytwo Barreett
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 10:57amI‘m tellin’ ya! Ma Nature even knows!!!
Report Post »encinom
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 10:57amWhere is Cantor saying how FEMA won’t be giving the funds to assist or Beck telling FEMA to leave the drowning victims and flooded homes and roads alone, let PA deal with it.
Seabee79
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 3:17pmencinom
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 10:57am
Hey stupid, where do you think the money is coming from to give to the socialist in that area???? NEWS FLASH WE ARE BROKE.
Report Post »encinom
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 5:04pmSeabee79
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 3:17pm
encinom
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 10:57am
Hey stupid, where do you think the money is coming from to give to the socialist in that area???? NEWS FLASH WE ARE BROKE.
Report Post »___________________________________
That’s your mantra, tell that to those in NY, VT, NJ and now PA that have never seen flooding like this and lost everything.
cromag11b
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 10:48amA lot of family lives up along that river. A while ago they built a lot of levees that protect some towns at the cost of others; this will be their first big test.
Report Post »Dirty Durden
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 9:31pmI work in Wilkes_barre but live in maryland, I was in a hotel right in the sq. in Wilkes Barre. I just got home from there & man was that river raging.
A old men told me awhile ago a drudging company wanted to drudge that part of the Susquehanna river 20′ deep & PAY the county $2.00 per yard for the spoil. The county turned that down in favor of a levee system that may or may not hold, plus the tax payers had to paid for it. Only in America would a county Ex. be that stupid & their everywhere
Report Post ».
Stoic one
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 10:43amLee has drenched everything in it’s path….
Report Post »SummerB
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 10:39amWith all the lousy weather we‘ve been having it looks like it won’t be a full 18 months (as Tim Geitner said it would be) before they’ll be asking for another debt limit hike.:
Report Post »DanWesson455
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 10:38amDon’t bad mouth Buffalo Snow anymore. It isn’t all that bad looking compared to the c r a p you have to deal with.
Report Post »mashuser
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 10:30amLord, we pray for the good people from along the Susquehanna in the great state of Pennsylvania.
Report Post »EyeofthePatriot
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 11:25amThank you for our prayers! I work here in Marietta, PA… which is literally sitting next to the Susquehanna here in Southern PA and its tributaries are gushing like I’ve never seen before. I had to maze around the area piecing together what roads I could use to get in that weren’t flooded out. There are houses sitting along the road that are halfway under water. It is absolutely crazy, I’m not sure why I even came in to work today. Now I’m hoping I can make it out by the end of the day!
Report Post »westfayetteville
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 1:32pmThank-you MASHUSER
Report Post »chazman
Posted on September 8, 2011 at 10:30am… the Susquehanna is one bad azz river when it gets mad …
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