Force Of Tropical Storm Lee Still Felt As 69 Houses Face Demolition In Dauphin County

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Dauphin County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Almost two years after Tropical Storm Lee, the cleanup continues as houses damaged by flooding along the swollen Swatara Creek and later bought by the federal government are being demolished.

During the past few weeks, local municipalities have hired contractors to remove the houses, purchased through the Federal Emergency Management Agency‘s Hazard Mitigation Program.  Buyouts from FEMA were determined by the cost of rebuilding the house and future flood insurance claims.

At least 69 houses have been targeted for demolition, almost all of them on land near or adjacent to Swatara Creek.  The total cost is $8 million with the municipalities carrying 3 percent, or $250,000, of the cost.

But the long-term effects of the demolition will be bourn by the localities, as the properties slip from tax rolls and elected leaders are left wondering what to do with flood-prone vacant lots.

Read more:  http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/07/tropical_storm_lee_fema_buyout.html#incart_m-rpt-2

Bloomsburg Fairgrounds Ready To Reopen 1 Year After Flood

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Columbia County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

BLOOMSBURG – Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley reached to a sign posted at the high water mark of the wall of a restroom at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds.

“I can barely touch it,” Cawley said.

The last time he toured the fairgrounds, the water dumped during the twin storms of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee had just receded from the high point on Sept. 9, 2011.

Mud smeared the grounds, and the board of directors canceled the fair for the first time in 157 years.

On Thursday, Cawley returned to rebuilt grounds as vendors set up stands and owners parked collectible cars inside buildings for an automobile show that starts Friday.

Read more: http://www.lockhaven.com/page/content.detail/id/540390/Bloomsburg-fairgrounds-ready-to-reopen-1-year-after-flood.html?nav=5009

State Criticizes Met-Ed, PPL On Outages

 

English: Hurricane Irene over North Carolina, United States (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Met-Ed and PPL electric utilities have to improve their tree-trimming and line maintenance so that preventable outages like those that occurred during the major storms of 2011 can be reduced or eliminated.

The utilities also must be more responsive to customers during major storms, according to three reports critical of the utilities, issued this week by the state Public Utility Commission.

The reports were ordered in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene last August, flooding rains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee in early September, and the freak late October snowstorm.

“Tree trimming should be a primary concern for both the (electric utilities) and commission for its effect on reliability as well as its role in long-duration outages,” the report said.

Raed more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=407845

Dauphin County Damage From Tropical Storm Lee Tops $150 Million

The latest damage estimate from Tropical Storm Lee has topped $150 million in Dauphin County!

• 294 homes and businesses were destroyed

• 1,039 structures sustained major damage

• 1,265 structures had minor damage

• Over $800,000 worth of crops were also destroyed

Flood Pictures From Sullivan County

Here are some pictures of flooding in Sullivan County from Tropical Storm Lee.  These pictures are of the road between Worlds End State Park & Forksville just to give you an idea how Mother Nature & the Loyalsock can disagree.  In the last picture, the upper right corner, is the Sullivan County Fairgrounds which also had a lot of damage.

Bloomsburg Fair CANCELLED!!!!!

Image via Wikipedia

The Bloomsburg Fair Grounds were completely inundated by flood waters from Tropical Storm Lee.  As of today, September 12th, the fair’s board of directors have cancelled this year’s fair.

A statement was released via Twitter saying after careful consideration the board of directors has decided not to have the fair this year.

If you click on the fair’s website, it says FAIR CANCELLED, Please check back tomorrow for further information.

Here is a link to their website: http://bloomsburgfair.com/

Hersheypark To Open On Saturday!

Image via Wikipedia

A week after flood waters from Tropical Storm Lee crested over portions of Hersheypark, the Derry Township amusement park said it will be open for business this weekend.

Hersheypark WILL BE OPEN Saturday and Sunday, September 17 and 18.  The park has been closed since last weekend.  Both Hersheypark and ZooAmerica will open at 10 a.m.

http://www.hersheypark.com

http://www.zooamerica.com/

Grim Report On Pennsylvania Damages From Tropical Storm Lee

The latest estimate on the number of homes damaged or destroyed in Pennsylvania, by Tropical Storm Lee, is 4,500.  This number is likely to rise as 4,500 is a preliminary estimate.

19 counties were declared disaster areas by President Obama and are eligible for federal disaster relief aid.

First Estimates In – Dauphin County Damage Total From Lee

Image via Wikipedia

The first official guesstimate of how much damage Tropical Storm Lee caused Dauphin County is in – and it is a large figure.  Not as large as the incinerator debt, but daunting nonetheless.

The magic number is $52.7 million worth of damage to commercial and residential properties in the county.  That is just one county out of MANY.  This storm will be very costly!

Harrisburg officials say they will need 60 days to come up with a number on how much they spent and the amount the city will be seeking in reimbursement from FEMA.

In other news, the National Guard will be pumping out basements in Shipoke since the city says it does not have the expertise or the manpower to do so.

13 Storm Related Deaths In Pennsylvania

Last week’s massive flooding in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has left 13 people dead.  The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) listed 13 possible storm-related deaths on Sunday in the following counties:

3 Lancaster, 2 Bradford, 2 Dauphin, 2 Lebanon, 1 Chester, 1 Luzerne, 1 Philadelphia and 1 York.

Four Bridges Remain Closed In Wilkes-Barre Area

Image via Wikipedia

Four major bridges remain closed after last week’s heavy flooding in the Wyoming Valley.  The Market Street Bridge, Eighth Street Bridge, Water Street Bridge and the Stone Bridge are all closed to traffic.  This has created congestion problems on the North Cross Valley Expressway.  If you are traveling in the Wilkes-Barre area, you may want to allow yourself extra time to reach your destination.

Map Of Rainfall Totals For Pennsylvania From The Flood

If you want to see a map of Pennsylvania with rainfall totals from Tropical Storm Lee for every county in the state, and a partial list of rainfall totals by community, click here:

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/09/tropical_storm_lee_dumped_more.html

Gallery: View from above of flood destruction

Gallery: View from above of flood destruction.

Aerial pictures from the Wyoming Valley showing the massive scale of devastation from the flooding.

Susquehanna Crests Higher In Wilkes-Barre Than Orginally Reported Due To Gauge Malfunction

The Susquehanna River crested nearly four feet higher in Wilkes-Barre than originally announced.  A gauge malfunctioned that measures the river level.  The river actually crested at a level higher than Hurricane Agnes in 1972 (40.91 feet) and set a record of 42.66 feet Friday morning.

This high level of water is straining the levee system to its maximum.  Water is leaking into downtown Wilkes-Barre through the flood gates on the Market Street Bridge.

The levee at Forty Fort is also compromised and in danger of collapse.  Governor Corbett has strongly urged Wyoming Valley residents to head evacuation warnings.

Evidently it is not uncommon for gauges to malfunction during high water events.