Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Elizabethtown declares state of emergency

Officials in Elizabethtown have declared a state of emergency after constant heavy rain all day today caused flooding on Market Street. Some residents on Poplar Street had to be rescued from their  homes, according to Borough Council President Phil Clark.

Those residents who were rescued were taken to the Elizabethtown Fire Department and later bused to the Elizabethtown Area High School. If you need to evacuate your home, please go to the Daubert Gymanisum at the high school.

The only passable north-south street in town that is open is Mount Joy Street. Officials are advising to preserve drinking water for the time being.

Clark, who was at the fire department, called the town "a mess" at about 3:15 p.m. Some manholes throughout town were bubbling up with water because of the intense flow of stormwater,  and residents had called the borough office to report sewer backing up into their basements. One official said there's nothing to do but ride out the storm.

Clark praised emergency officials and the borough administration for doing a fantastic job. During his phone call, sirens could be heard in the background as personnel were responding to calls.

Market Street at College Avenue was closed because of flooding, and the owners of Folklore Coffee and Co. posted on Facebook that they were closing early because of flooding down the hill toward Rita's Italian Ice.

Elizabethtown College sent an email to students and staff, saying College Avenue at the college was closed because Lake Placida had overflowed its banks.

I'll report more information as I receive it.

Updated, 3:35 p.m.:
  • 25 kids are still at the Elizabethtown Child Care Center because parents can't get there. The center closed at 3 p.m.
  • Here are some photos posted on Folklore Coffee & Co.'s Facebook page for that end of town.
Updated, 4:32 p.m.
Update 5:40 p.m.

  • For people in Elizabethtown Borough who need to evacuate, please go to the Elizabethtown Fire Department on Mount Joy Street starting at 6 p.m. If you need to be evacuated, call 367-5300.

4 comments:

  1. Hello,

    Any word on when the Borough sewer system will be operational again and able to handle people flushing toilets, etc?

    Seth Johnston
    Flooded owner of 237 Cherry ST.

    ReplyDelete
  2. To my knowledge, the sewer system is operating, albeit operating at capacity. I understand that there are some properties where the sewer has backed up, which while incredibly frustrating is understandable given the sheer amount of rain we've had. All we can do is ride this out, I'm sorry to say. I am checking to see if there is a time frame for people who are experiencing sewer problems and when they'll be back online.

    ReplyDelete
  3. E-town made CNN today! Look about half-way down the article.

    http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/09/09/weather.lee/index.html

    Seth

    ReplyDelete

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