Heavy rain from Tropical Storm Debby drenched a wide area of Pennsylvania on Friday, leading to road closures, power outages and evacuations.
These updates from around the region give a sense of the storm's impact:
Tioga County evacuations
Roughly 80 people were evacuated from their homes in Tioga County this afternoon, according to County Commissioner Shane Nickerson.
The National Guard was called out to help people trapped on roofs of their homes. Two shelters have been set up at Cowanesque High School in Westfield and North Penn -Liberty High School in Liberty Borough. The commissioners declared a state of emergency for Aug. 9.
Lycoming County flooding
Several Lycoming County municipalities were evacuated Friday due to flash-flooding.
Trout Run, Hepburnville, Salladasburg and Newberry were some areas hit the hardest, causing evacuations.
Trout Run Volunteer Fire Company was forced to evacuate their fire hall at about noon after taking in residents. They were then moved to the Hepburn Volunteer Fire Company’s fire hall.
Hepburn Township Volunteer Fire Company said they had electricity, drinks and food for people. They are taking in anyone evacuated. The Red Cross and bedding are available, they said on Facebook.
Old Lycoming Volunteer Fire Company, Williamsport YMCA, Salladasburg Elementary School and Mahoning Township Police Department also opened their doors to residents in need.
It is unknown how many residents were evacuated at this time.
Hepburn Township Volunteer Fire Company issued a Declaration of Disaster Emergency for Hepburn and Old Lycoming Townships.
They recommended evacuating the following areas as of 2 p.m. Friday: Haleeka, Powy’s, McKee Road, Fisher Road, Fisher Circle, Brasses Trailer Court, Cottage Ave., East Creek, West Creek and ABC/Fairlawn Trailer Court, Pleasant Hill Road and Beauty’s Run Road.
“If you do not leave your house at this point, we can NOT guarantee that we will be able to get out of your house safely. Please take this seriously!” the fire company’s Facebook post said.
Scranton floodgates
Scranton's Department of Public Works decided to close the floodgates along the Lackawanna River on Friday afternoon.
"This is a precautionary measure due to heavy rainfall and flash flood warnings throughout Lackawanna County," an email from the city stated.
The closures are at:
- Olive Street
- Albright Avenue
- Poplar Street
- Parker Street
- Sanderson Avenue
Widespread power outages
Power companies reported tens of thousands of customers hit by power outages.
PPL reported roughly 30,000 power outages across its coverage area as of 4:20 p.m. Friday, stretching from the New York state line to the Maryland border.
UGI, meanwhile, reported over 1,000 outages in and around Luzerne County.
Road closures
PennDOT issued a lengthy of road restrictions, closures and updates due to Tropical Storm Debby, and reminded motorists not to drive through standing water and to avoid travel unless necessary.
Further information and an up-to-date map of closures can be found at https://www.511pa.com/
Weather forecast
Much of the region remained under flood warnings, flash-flood warnings and wind advisories as of 4:30 p.m. Friday.
For detailed information, visit the National Weather Service website.
NWS also has a page of Debby updates and resources.
Check back for updates.
