Hundreds of thousands flee mid-Atlantic floods
At least 10 dead as streams rise from New York to Virginia
Wednesday, June 28, 2006; Posted: 5:15 p.m. EDT (21:15 GMT)
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Gallery: Flooding in mid-Atlantic
(CNN) -- From upstate New York to the Virginia coast, flooding caused at least 10 deaths Wednesday and forced mass evacuations, including two-thirds of the residents of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and surrounding Luzerne County.
Luzerne County officials ordered between 150,000 and 200,000 people to evacuate their homes because of the rising Susquehanna River. The county has about 313,000 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
About 80 miles upstream in Binghamton, New York, the Susquehanna spilled into city streets, covering cars, flooding homes and prompting a mandatory evacuation of as many as 15,000 residents, officials said.
About 30 miles to the northeast, a rising creek washed out a section of Interstate 88 in Sidney, New York, causing wrecks that killed two truckers and closed the highway, state police said.
New York Gov. George Pataki, who was in Binghamton, ordered 125 National Guard troops to the city and declared states of emergency in 10 counties. (Watch floodwaters threaten homes -- 1:11)
Predictions that river waters would breach concrete flood walls later Wednesday prompted a mandatory evacuation in Binghamton. Pataki said 10,000 residents have left so far.
Binghamton Mayor Matthew Ryan said the river had risen to 25 feet by 8 a.m. Wednesday and was expected to rise as high as 30 feet by Thursday morning. "The situation right now is very serious," Ryan said.
In addition to the deaths of the two truckers in New York, the weather was blamed for two traffic deaths in Pennsylvania and one in Maryland, according to The Associated Press. (Watch Pennsylvania bracing for more floods -- 2:41)
In Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, a father drowned when he jumped into rushing waters in a futile attempt to save his teenage son who had been swept away, said county spokeswoman Kathy Bozinski.
In Myersville, Maryland, three people died after floodwaters swept them out of a pickup truck just minutes after they were rescued from a car stranded in rising waters late Tuesday, authorities said.
The three people had just climbed into the truck's bed in Myersville for a ride away from danger when the pickup was hit by a flash flood, said a Frederick County Fire Department spokesman.
Their bodies were found nearby Wednesday morning, said spokesman Michael Dmuchowski.
Elsewhere in Frederick County, a search was to resume at daylight for two teenagers missing and feared to have drowned in a rain-swollen creek, Dmuchowski said.
In Alleghany County, Virginia, teams found the body of 8-year-old Niki Godbold in a creek, the county sheriff said. The girl had been missing since Tuesday afternoon.
Flooding reached Virginia Beach, where one lifelong resident said he had never seen the water so high, even during hurricanes.
Virginia Gov. Timothy Kane declared a statewide emergency because of the flooding and mudslides that have washed out more than 225 roads since Friday.
Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell declared a state of emergency for 46 counties.
'Tropical' rain caused flooding
The widespread flooding followed a weekend of rain so heavy that it was more appropriate to the tropics than the northern and mid-Atlantic United States, said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.
He said the tropical rainfall of 2 to 3 inches per hour led to a flooding situation that might occur once every 20 years.
In northeastern Pennsylvania, hundreds of people were believed trapped in the upper floors and on the roofs of their homes in Wilkes-Barre Township and Liberty as National Guard troops and a Coast Guard helicopter worked to rescue them. (More floods ahead in Pennsylvania -- 2:41)
U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Gene Maestas estimated as many as 300 people in northeastern Pennsylvania may need to be rescued by helicopter.
In Susquehanna County, many roads were under 6 to 8 feet of water, complicating efforts to reach about 400 people believed to be stranded in their homes, said Emergency Operations Coordinator Mark Wood.
"We're trying to get to these people as quickly as possible, but the roads are blocked and we're just doing our best," Wood said.
At least 500 residents were occupying shelters in Susquehanna County as of Wednesday morning, he said.
The rising Susquehanna River is causing serious concern in in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County spokeswoman Bozinski said.
The dikes can hold back up to 41 feet of water, but the river has already reached 38 feet and will not crest until late Wednesday, she said.
Difficult rescue effort
In Wayne County, Pennsylvania, at least eight bridges and several roads have been washed away, said County Commissioner Donald Olsommer.
"Our main priority now is getting people out," said Olsommer. "It's difficult to do with so many bridges and roads gone."
Rising waters forced the Wayne County emergency management headquarters to move to higher ground, and it may have to relocate yet again, he said.
In southeastern Pennsylvania's Bucks County, evacuations began along the Delaware River in anticipation that it will crest Thursday about 8 feet above flood stage, according to county Emergency Services Coordinator John Dougherty.
A fire station in northern Bucks County was evacuated when the fast-rising Perkiomen Creek began flooding it Wednesday morning, Dougherty said.
Boats were used to rescue residents of the Covered Bridge apartments Wednesday morning when the Perkiomen Creek flooded the complex, he said.
Residents of New Hope, a tourist area featuring a scenic waterfall, began evacuating ahead of the Delaware's expected crest, which Dougherty said was expected to flood the main street, putting shops and homes under water Thursday.
Maryland authorities early Wednesday evacuated some 1,200 homes near Rockville after engineers noticed a hole in a nearby earthen dam in Rock Creek Park, a spokeswoman for Montgomery County's emergency operations center said.
The dam was holding steady as of Wednesday morning, officials said
