9 Reportedly Dead in Northeast Flooding

[Eugene]

9 Reportedly Dead in Northeast Flooding


Wednesday June 28, 2006 4:31 PM

AP Photo MDKL104

By ROGER PETTERSON

Associated Press Writer

Storms swept into the Northeast on Wednesday, forcing thousands of people
from their homes, including more than 2,200 who fled from a rising Maryland
lake. A section of interstate highway was washed out in New York state and
at least nine deaths were blamed on the stormy weather. Three people were
missing.

The highway washout in New York reportedly killed two, while the weather was
blamed for one traffic death in Pennsylvania and one in Maryland. A 15-year-old
boy drowned in a lake in Pennsylvania's Luzerne County and his mother's
boyfriend drowned trying to rescue him, police said.

Three young adults died in western Maryland when they were washed out of the bed
of a pickup; they had just been rescued from their car, which had stalled in high
water late Tuesday, authorities said. But then the rescuers' pickup got stuck
in rushing water, which swept the three away, said Frederick County fire and rescue
services spokesman Michael Dmuchowski.

<snip>

After days of heavy rain and floods, the sun was shining in Washington, D.C.
as the storm moved into New York and New England. Rivers were still rising in Virginia
after four days of downpours and highways across the region were blocked by flooding
and washouts.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5917224,00.html

Previous LBN thread: CNN/AP: Eastern floods force evacuations

[Sequoia]

1. Horrible stories.

Awful, just tragic. All of them.

[hedgehog]

2. This is a huge story that's being poorly covered.

The problem is that there are hundreds of small floods from Maryland to New York. No one flood is serious enough to break out as a top story, but the aggregate flooding should be a top story. I just read that two bridges on Interstate 88 between Binghamton and Albany were washed out. Right now parts of NY17 and Interstate 81 are also closed. These are major routes for trucks so this disruption will ripple through the economy to say the least.

Another problem - a lot of people who are getting flooded out supposedly lived in flood-free areas so they have no flood insurance.

[endarkenment]

3. When was the last time that the northeast suffered from serious floods?

Not in my lifetime that I know of. Where I live now there was one memorable flood last century - back in the 30's.

[spinbaby]

6. Do you not remember Ivan?

September 2004. Massive flooding.

[endarkenment]

9. Yeah I should have qualified that as 'outside of hurricane events'.

Also I'm thinking more of the new york - maine region, which is where I live and where we basically never have serious flooding.

[alcibiades_mystery]

14. I was driving from Upstate New York to Central PA for that one

Not fucking fun at all.

[bettyellen]

10. NYC in 81 or 82 i think.....

it was when diana ross did that concert in central park, whenever that was.
i know i got stuck in water 4 feet deep. that sucked.

[Virginia Dare]

11. In the Washington, D.C. area...

they are saying this is a once in every 300 years event. We've had over a foot of rain since Saturday. The only good thing about it is that we were at near drought levels before this whole thing started, so the river flooding won't be as catastrophic as it might have been.

[Penndems]

22. I haven't seen this much rain since Hurricane Agnes came through

in June 1972. Rained for almost a week, as I remember. Rivers and creeks rose, flooding everyone. Spawned tornadoes throughout Arlington and Fairfax County.

It was horrible.

[alcibiades_mystery]

13. Holy shite! Really!

That's the road we drive all the time up to Albany (I-88). Oh, my. And 17 out as well? And 81? Is Binghamton now cut off from the world???

[gaspee]

4. We're flooding now

I'm in RI and our rivers have been at flood stage for almost a week now.

I'm wondering what's going on with that damn in SE MA that almost burst and flooded a town last year. Hoepfully, they've fixed it.

[Quakerfriend]

5. I am just outside of Philly and they say it is the worst flooding

since Wilma hit in 1972.

Luckily for us, my son decided to stay home from tennis today- All of the children at the center (in Manayunk) had to be rescued by boat shortly after camp started this am! The facility is ~ a block from the banks of the Schuylkill River.

Traffic is gridlocked for miles in many directions in and around the city.

Prayers to all up and down the Eastern seaboard.O8)

[spinbaby]

7. That was Agnes in 1972

Wilma was last fall.

[Quakerfriend]

8. Oops! Thanks for the correction.

(I thought Wilma sounded awfully familiar!)

[alcibiades_mystery]

12. Welcome to US monsoon season

An inconvenient truth?

[radfringe]

15. mandatory evacuation near me

There's a mandatory evacuation going on in the Wilkes-Barre area - shutting everything down by 8pm tonight. River is expected to crest at midnight tonight.

Roads are a madhouse as people are trying to get to their homes and routes are limited due to the flooding that already has occured.

they are expecting the levee/dike system to hold the water - just barely. System is built for a crest of 40 feet, forcasts at the moment is for a cresting of 38-39 feet

so my partner, who works in Wilkes-Barre area calls me at my work and wants me to help move furniture/computers etc, up to the 2nd floor of her office

My day was already screwed, most of co-workers had already left to evacuate themselves or family - so my boss tells me to go ahead

309 North was bumper to bumper, so I get off and head for a circular route, get confused and end up on the highway in the wrong direction. Back around in a circle - I call my partner and tell her I'm stuck in traffic - she tells me nevermind just go home we're almost done.

Where we live we are not effected by the flooding (we're up on a mountain and nearest creek/pond/waterway is about 3 miles away DOWNHILL from us)

Our main concern is the Huntsville Dam. They evacuated people from that area this morning/late last night - they fear a breach. For us personally, we are about 8 miles ABOVE the dam.

The dam hold back the Huntsville water reservoir - picture a HUMONGOUS LAKE spilling over a 30 foot stretch of dam that has busted. And it's all DOWNHILL from there. One of the side roads near the dam has alread collapsed.

Scuttlebutt and comments overheard from co-workers is that no one is counting on any FEMA help should the worse happen.

[lebkuchen]

17. Time to move those FEMA trailers not being used

I wonder if FEMA has gotten started on that yet.

US news sounds so benign when it comes to natural disasters. Not much is being reported in terms of what FEMA is doing for preparedness. Also, I don't get a sense of urgency from any of the stations. Floods are the #1 cause of death from natural disasters. I hope the evac process is being expedited.

You're fortunate to have your home. Watch out for falling trees.

What river is expected to crest? not familiar with this part of the country.

on edit: Susquehana--just saw it on the news.

[Penndems]

21. Y'all take care up there - I'm worried about you

I know how hearty Pennsylvania folks are, but this is a bad situation. Take cover and keep posting as often as you can for as long as you can.

Everyone is in my thoughts and prayers . . .

[TheCentepedeShoes]

27. Heard about Wilkes-Barre

under mandatory evac. How's Scranton doing? Have old friends in the Lake Wallenpaupack area, town of Hawley IIRC.
You all please be safe!

[Lugnut]

34. WNEP TV's website has good info

The town of Hawley had a few inches of water throughout the main drag in town. WNEP had a crew there shooting video yesterday. You might be able to find more information at their website.

http://www.wnep.com/

I'm in lower Luzerne Co on top of a mountain so we're good here. We've had groundwater seepage at the base of our foundation walls where they meet the concrete floor. Thank goodness for functioning sump pumps.

[Rex]

16. Why is this not getting hugh coverage?

I had to tell my parents about this, they had no idea! It is the first time they didn't know about a major natural disaster occurring (they stay up on current events). So what does Patty Pat have to say about this?

[Carni]

18. I KNOW!

I mean flooding in several states and the threat of breached levees after what happened in NOLA doesn't rate constant coverage? HELLO?

They are talking about it on CNN as almost an afterthought!

I swear we are living in la la land...oh this is rich, now wolfie is going to talk about a fictitious hurricane and what would happen if it hit New York.

I guess only future events that may or may not occur are the only things newsworthy.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

19. Photos from PA

It's real bad....

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-weather-lv-062706,0,5578539.photogallery?index=1

http://www.scrantontimestribune.com/projects/FloodGallery/pages/01.htm

[aasleka]

23. hows the forecast look?

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/east/natl/loop-wv.html

[Penndems]

26. Like this, for the Wyoming/Lehigh Valley:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/ifps/MapClick.php?site=phi&CiTemplate=1&FcstType=text&MapType=0&MapType=3&site=phi&CiTemplate=1&map.x=154&map.y=49

South Central Pennsylvania:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/ifps/MapClick.php?site=phi&CiTemplate=1&FcstType=text&MapType=0&MapType=3&site=phi&CiTemplate=1&map.x=69&map.y=105

Philadelphia Metro:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/ifps/MapClick.php?site=phi&CiTemplate=1&FcstType=text&MapType=0&MapType=3&site=phi&CiTemplate=1&map.x=185&map.y=122

[Penndems]

25. Bad in the D.C. area, too . . .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2006/06/26/GA2006062600733_metaRefresher.htm?startat=1

And, oh my God, another thunderstorm is moving into Northern Virginia as I'm writing. Pennsylvania, it's coming your way.

:scared:

[October]

32. 3 major floods in about 18 months! Bucks County, PA

This is insane. The water is touching the bottom of our local bridge already, and it's not supposed to crest till 2pm tomorrow.

New Hope, PA and Lambertville, NJ are "sister towns" that sit on opposite sides of the river.

Many area photos at this Philly news website:
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/#

[Alameda]

20. Dam break in Schuylkill County

My sister liven in Schuylkill County (in Central PA). They had a dam break which caused 7'+ water in parts. There have been evacuations since this morning. If I hadn't spoken to her, I would not have known about it. There's been very little in the news about it, even if you Google it.

It's a disaster for them. Her walls are wet, basement is flooded and I 80 & 81 has been closed for a while now.

Here in CA, and probably othere parts of the country, hardly anyone is aware of it....

You know, that part of PA is coal country, they also have a sinkhole problem. Of course, an event like this will cause more sinkholes.

[Penndems]

28. Harrisburg Patriot-News/Central PA website:

http://www.pennlive.com/

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

24. But there's no such thing as global warming, so

stop saying that there is.

[Dancing_Dave]

29. There isn't very good coverage on TV

After Katrina, I really expected the TV coverage of this to be better than it is.

Of course, it's not the same scale of disaster yet...but if one major dam breaks it will be.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

33. They're treating it as if they were a bunch of "local news" stories

that nobody would give a flying fuck about unless they lived in the area. That's the way they treated those horrible floods in New England last month as well.

[earth mom]

30. I didn't realize that the flooding was this bad.

:scared:

Has anyone heard anything about the Harrisburg area?

Sending good vibes out to everyone! :grouphug:

[electricmonk]

31. Missing girl's body found in Va

The girl that was swept away in Alleghany County Va was found about a mile from where she fell in. Sad story. That's the kind of thing I did when I was a kid too. If there was a creek or something around with water flowing in it I wanted to play near it. Throwing things in to watch them float away or whatever. Just dumb look that I never fell in like she did.

But I wasn't as dumd as these guys. Canoe Capsizes.