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PA Braces for Life-Threatening, Record-Breaking Floods

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It’s a Level One situation at the PEMA emergency operations center in suburban Harrisburg.  That’s the highest level possible for a state disaster response.  “By comparison, 11-days ago, Hurricane Irene only reached a Level Two here in Pennsylvania,” Governor Tom Corbett said at an afternoon media briefing from the PEMA headquarters.  The last time the emergency operations center was operating at Level One was 9/11/01.   

Gov. Tom Corbett and PEMA director Glenn Cannon

Gov. Corbett and PEMA director Glenn Cannon brief the media on the flooding in central and northeastern PA.

Governor Corbett says the state faces a clear public health emergency.  “Sewage treatment plants, such as the one near Hershey, are underwater and no longer working,” Corbett says, “As you know flood water is toxic.”  The governor’s message was clear: stay out of the flood water unless you are being rescued. 

So far three deaths have been attributed to the flooding.  Two of those deaths are in Lancaster County; the third is in Dauphin County, though PEMA director Glenn Cannon says they are as of yet unconfirmed.  Almost every town along the Susquehanna River has experienced flooding, but the situation is expected to only get worse until the river crests. 

By Friday morning, 1,200 National Guard troops will have been activated.  400 of them are already assisting in the evacuation and protection of thousands of Wilkes-Barre residents, who are evacuating low-lying areas.  Governor Corbett has been in contact with federal officials, and says FEMA is flying in pallets full of water and MRE’s (meals, ready-to-eat).  The supplies are being dropped off at Ft. Indiantown Gap, and will be distributed to the county level as needed.

September is National Preparedness Month

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We’ve just gone through Irene and Katia is churning in the Atlantic.  September is National Preparedness Month and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is reminding Americans to prepare their families, businesses and homes for emergencies of any kind.

Deputy Administrator Tim Manning says you need to know what your risks are, and have an emergency kit and a family plan ready for them. For example, most of the danger in a hurricane comes from flooding, not from the winds.  Once a storm passes, the danger is not over. He says you must understand what you need to do to protect yourself and family.  You have to be able to weather those few days while emergency workers are focused on rescue missions.

Manning says it’s also important to have multiple ways for family members to communicate. You can learn more about doing risk assessment and developing a plan at  ready.gov  Manning says his family also has at least three different locations they’ll evacuate to, or meet at, depending on road conditions.

Manning says community members can help each other, if they’re prepared. After Hurricane Irene, his community came together and cleared downed trees, getting roads reopened just a few hours after the storm blew through. Manning says that’s an important point about disaster resilience; having individuals with plans  to weather the disaster enables the community to come together and help each other.