(Undated) -- The midstate is bracing for flooding from today's storm, which has already brought up to seven inches of rain and is expected to add at least another five inches within the next 72 hours. Several county emergency departments are preparing to respond to calls for assistance in the wake of Tropical Storm Lee.
The Dauphin County Emergency Operations Center is now partially activated, while several Lancaster County fire department water rescue teams are on standby.
The City of Harrisburg's Emergency Operations Center is slated to open later today. County commissioners in Dauphin and York counties have declared states of emergency for their respective counties.
Dauphin County Commissioner Mike Pries says the rainfall could cause significant problems for some residents. "Folks need to be vigilant. Get outside, and clean off the stormwater grates outside your properties," he says. "Public works departments around the county need to get out and clean off the stormwater grates as well to allow the stormwater to flow. There's nowhere for the water to really go right now since the ground is so saturated due to the amount of rain we've received to date."
Water levels along the Susquehanna River could reach their highest since Hurricane Ivan hit in 2004.
Peter Young, warning coordination Meterologist at the National Weather Service in State College, says there's still time for flooding to occur. "Any thunderstorms that are embedded in this rain are going to produce very torrential downpours of rain, exceeding an inch an hour, and that type of rainfall will certainly bring any kind of swollen streams and creeks rapidly out of their banks and create a rapid flash flood situation." Young notes the ground was already soaked from Hurricane Irene and other recent rains.
The National Guard has also activated about 100 members to deal with the flooding in the central and eastern part of the state. Guard Spokesman Sergeant Matthew Jones says 50 guard members were activated yesterday and an equal number have been put on active status today. "We'll get missions requested by PEMA and we'll send soldiers out to provide power generation, perform highwater rescues, distribute food and water, and provide checkpoints and road blocks as requested or necessray," he says.
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Spokesman Corey Angell says the greatest flooding risk appears to be along the Susquehanna, Juniata, and Delaware rivers.
So far, residents in Middletown, Harrisburg, Steelton, and Highspire in Dauphin County have been evacuated. The American Red Cross has set up shelters in Mechanicsburg, Steelton, York, and Northumberland to provide assistance to displaced residents.
