A first responder tries to maneuver a small boat as water rushes across the Trout Run exit of Route 15 Friday afternoon.
DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
Homes were destroyed and roadways and bridges washed out as remnants of Tropical Storm Debby inundated the area Friday with sheets of rain and gusts of wind, leading to widespread flooding and structural damage.
The storm crawled up the Mid-Atlantic coast and by Friday morning the National Weather Service in State College issued a flash-flood emergency alert for communities in Lycoming County and the region, with warnings of life-threatening conditions for low-lying areas as up to 3 to 4 inches of rain fell in a few short hours.
Catastrophic flood damage occurred in Salladasburg, which was under water and Trout Run, where the local fire station was evacuated as flood water damaged the building.
Urgent response
Just before 2 p.m., as the sky turned sunny again for two hours, a fire officer in Salladasburg declared “the entire village is flooded. Main Street is shut down, and the water is still rising.”
“We need resources to start going door-to-door” for evacuations, he said.
With that announcement, state troopers along with Lycoming County sheriff deputies assisted fire company personnel with evacuating flooded residents.
Salladasburg Elementary School on Route 287 was opened as an emergency evacuation center. The school is in the Jersey Shore Area School District.
Salladasburg’s Main Street voluntary evacuation became mandatory about 3 p.m., when it was discovered that a large 1,000-pound propane tank was leaking at 440 Main St. A fire officer at the scene reported “all valves on the tank had broken off.”
The area of Main Street to Route 973 was evacuated until all the free-burning gas had emptied from the tank and the cylinder was secured.
A water boil advisory went into effect during the day. The Jersey Shore Water Authority began to experience a loss of water treatment abilities due to the flooding. This loss of water treatment was considered a signal of the existence of conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system.
As a result, there is an increased chance that the water may contain disease-causing organisms. The officials urged individuals to not drink the water without boiling it first.
The streets and roads in many locations served by the United States Postal Service office in Williamsport were considered to be impassable by mail delivery trucks and so mail delivery and packages were not delivered for the day Friday, a spokeswoman told a Sun-Gazette employee.
Nearby that postal facility, the intersection of Reach Road and South Reach Road was covered in water as high as a hood of vehicles at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Several motorists, including those working for commercial purposes in tractor-trailers drove into the standing water, creating ripple effects like waves on a lake. Flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations took place all at once as numerous roads were closed, including a part of Elimsport Road west of Montgomery.
The helpers need help
In Trout Run, volunteer Fire Chief Nick Smith said most of the village had been evacuated due to flooding, including the firehouse along Route 14, which sustained heavy structural damage.
“Our firehouse, that served as an evacuation center, was compromised when a large tree landed on our social hall,” he said. Close to 30 to 40 people have been moved to the firehouse in Hepburn Township, he said.
“Little Trout Run, as we call it up here, has never before flooded like it has today,” Smith said.
Shortly before 4 p.m., a bridge on Route 14 collapsed near Trout Run, a Sun-Gazette staff member was told.
A city of Williamsport worker clears debris from Grafius Run early Friday morning as heavy rain falls. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette
A shelter was also established at Old Lycoming Township Fire Co. as many came in who live in mobile homes and houses close to Lycoming Creek and its tributaries.
Larryville area of Piatt Township evacuation was requested by Lycoming Regional Police Department. The police advised residents shortly before 4 p.m. of impending flooding and encouraged evacuation of properties.
Two Williamsport Bureau of Fire rescue boats were dispatched to Westfield in Tioga County to assist with evacuations.
Rain impacted various communities including Williamsport, Sunbury, Milton, Lewisburg, Montoursville, Jersey Shore, Northumberland, Mansfield, Mifflinburg, Wellsboro, Carroll, Winfield, Morris, Watsontown, Montgomery, Blossburg, Linntown, Avis, DuBoistown and New Columbia.
In Williamsport, travelers were asked to avoid West Fourth Street, between Wayne and Ridge avenues in Newberry. Flooding also took place at Rose Street between West Third Street and Dix Street and Sherman Street at Hadtner Avenue, according to the Williamsport Bureau of Police.
City couple Joyce and Phil Reed, of 432 Highland Terrace, which lies within feet of Grafius Run, watched as the water rose in the nefarious waterway and then entered through the side of their house getting into the basement, leaving mud for the couple to clean up.
A backhoe operator from the city public works department arrived at around 7 a.m. He was scooping up debris and placing it in a pile to prevent further flooding.
The couple said they were hoping for a quicker response because the flooding had taken place by the time he arrived.
“We were told the city only has one backhoe and would try to borrow another,” Joyce Reed said.
Throughout the central portions of the state, heavy rain led to flash flooding, causing small streams and creeks to overflow their banks resulting in fire companies performing water rescues in Susquehanna Township and Elimsport Road in Washington Township.
Shortly after 2:30 p.m., life-threatening flooding was occurring in northwestern Tioga County as a call went out to any and all boats and helicopters to assist rescue efforts, according to Live Storm Chasers on Facebook.
Numerous water rescues were occurring, including those at Circle J. Road in Washington Township, 1100 E. Cottage Ave., Old Lycoming Township, and 1500 block of Hensler Road in Mifflin Township.
The storm bands brought another round of rain at 4 p.m. as city firefighters responded to a call on a Grier Street residence for water in the basement.
The flooding affected dozens of roads including Route 44 between Masser Road in Gregg Township, Union County, and Mill Road in Washington Township; Route 44 between Gap Road and Mill Road in Washington Township; Route 14 between the ramp to Route 15 to Trout Run Mountain Road in Lewis Township; Blockhouse Road between Brick Church Road and Route 15 north in Jackson Township, Route 284 between Route 15 south and Route 287 in Pine Township; Route 184 between Route 15 and Route 287 in Cogan House Township; Jacks Hollow Road and Valley Street between Nippenose Road in Bastress Township and Euclid Avenue in DuBoistown; Route 15 at Buttonwood; Pleasant Valley Road between Rose Valley Road and Lycoming Creek Road in Hepburn Township; Blockhouse Road in the area of Buttonwood; and Route 287 between Route 184 and the Tioga County line.
The state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is continually updating the list of roads impacted by flooding and downed trees or utilities as situations change.
Water rescues continued through the late afternoon.
Sun-Gazette staffers Dave Kennedy and Philip A. Holmes contributed to this article.
