Rendell seeks federal assistance

PITTSBURGH - Rivers swollen by the remnants of Hurricane Ivan crested in Pittsburgh on Saturday evening as Gov. Ed Rendell expanded his request for federal flood aid to 34 counties and authorities said one person died after falling into floodwaters while awaiting rescue.

"Tropical Depression Ivan hit much of the commonwealth particularly hard and it is important to be proactive in responding to emergency needs that may arise," Gov. Rendell said. "The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is in contact with our county emergency operations centers and will continue to assist in coordination of recovery efforts."

The storm dumped a one-day record 5.95 inches of rain on Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday, spawning flash floods from creeks and smaller tributaries of rivers including the Allegheny, Beaver, Monongahela, Ohio and Youghiogheny.

Some areas reported up to nine inches of rain, Rendell said said. In Williamsport, 6.5 inches was recorded and 6.3 inches in Selinsgrove in a 24-hour period ending at 8 a.m. Authorities said 5.9 inches of rain fell in Altoona, 5.7 inches in Harrisburg and 5.5 inches in Scranton.

Dozens of homes in Scranton and Old Forge were evacuated as well as the western tip of Bloomsburg on the Susquehanna River, which was expected to crest six to eight feet above flood stage at 8 a.m. Sunday.

In Jersey Shore, the flooding Susquehanna forced hundreds from their homes, and several evacuation centers were set up. Some were rescued from homes or stuck cars. Firefighters with Jersey Shore's Independent Hose Co. were forced to leave their station when floodwaters threatened, and then had to watch a pizza shop that caught fire burn because it was inaccessable due to the waters, spokesman Robert Harrow said.

The Lehigh Valley International Airport reported a record 4.59 inches, three times the old record of 1.5 inches set in 1965, and said nighttime showers could send the one-day total higher. Easton ordered evacuations along Bushkill Creek and the Lehigh River and several bridges over smaller creeks in Northampton County were reported washed away.

Authorities issued a voluntary evacuation alert along the Delaware River as the National Weather Service predicted major flooding in some parts as the river crested Sunday afternoon and evening. Forecasters expected the river to rise 14 feet above flood stage in the Easton area and 12 feet above flood stage at Riegelsville.

PPL Electric Utilities said power had been restored to 73,000 customers since daybreak Saturday, but 33,000 remained without power as of 8 p.m., in the Harrisburg, Bloomsburg and Lehigh Valley areas. Met-Ed earlier reported 7,500 customers in Monroe and Pike counties without power.

Many of the western Pennsylvania rivers flooded or threatened to Saturday before cresting at 31 feet - six feet above flood stage - at Point State Park at the confluence of Pittsburgh's three rivers shortly after 6 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

The rivers crested a half-foot lower and two hours sooner than forecast - and that was good news for Pittsburgh's downtown businesses which tend to flood above the 31-foot level. The water stopped rising about four feet below the level at which the city's sports stadiums, both along the north shore of the Allegheny River, would have flooded, and the New York Mets-Pittsburgh Pirates game at PNC Park went off as scheduled.

Authorities expect that it will be days before the waters recede completely.

Kelly Duffy was one of several boat owners who watched helplessly as his craft broke loose from a dock and floated downriver, coming to rest near Point State Park along with several other craft.

"I witnessed my boat along with a whole bunch of boats above it; as a domino effect, they started crushing into each other," Kelly told WTAE television.

"When the water recedes, I imagine it's going to be stuck on the fountain" at Point State Park, which was fully under water, Kelly said, "that is, if another string of boats doesn't come along and knock it away. I have no idea what to do actually. It's the most God awful thing I've ever seen."

In Carnegie, just outside of Pittsburgh, a hearing-impaired man fell into the floodwaters while waiting to be rescued, and authorities said he had been confirmed dead although his body had not been recovered. His name was not immediately released. A 3-year-old girl died in a crash on a rain-slicked Indiana County road on Friday afternoon, but it wasn't yet clear if the accident was storm-related.

Few other serious injuries were reported. Allegheny County officials said more than 90 people were hurt, but none of the injuries were believed to be serious. About 50 people were injured in nonfatal crashes in Allegheny County, county executive Dan Onorato said.

Etna and Millvale, two towns along the Allegheny River that were hardest hit by Friday's flash floods, were bracing for another round of floods as the rivers rose.

In Westmoreland County, Bill and Ethel Conrad saw their basement and backyard covered by several feet of water, when the nearby Puckety Creek in New Kensington overflowed its banks Friday for the second time in three months.

"This is three times worse. At least then we didn't lose our washer, dryer, furnace - this time, nothing's fixable, it was seven feet deep," Ethel Conrad, 59, said of the water in her basement. In the alley behind the Conrads' home, a muddy stain on their garage door showed where flood waters more than four feet high swept through, tearing asphalt from the streets and fences from the ground.

The rains had stopped in Pittsburgh by Saturday, replaced by bright sunshine. But dozens of boats that had broken loose from docks floated aimlessly down the swollen, muddy rivers, many roads remained closed and some residents were trying to salvage what was left of their homes.

Outside Heinz Stadium, the Allegheny River was rising and at least 8 feet of water had flooded a pedestrian plaza just before noon, as thousand tailgated before the noontime University of Pittsburgh football game. The Pirates, however, were still scheduled to play the New York Mets later, just downriver at PNC Park.

Watching the rivers has become a spectator sport for some like Rick Kelly, 42, of New Kensington.

He snapped pictures of Lock and Dam No. 3, about 14 miles upriver of the confluence of Pittsburgh's three rivers, where waters churning beneath the dam heaved nearly as high as the raging Allegheny River flowing over it.

"I don't ever remember the river this bad - not even with (Hurricane) Agnes" which flooded Pennsylvania and much of the Atlantic coast in June 1972, Kelly said.

National Weather Service meteorologist Lou Giordano said moderate flooding was expected, and southwestern residents shouldn't expect anything like the flooding that occurred in 1996 or in 1972, when the remnants of Hurricane Agnes caused the rivers to crest at 35 feet, and some buildings saw water seep into their main floors.

Heavy rain fell in the Allegheny River basin, especially in a triangular region between Wheeling, W.Va., Pittsburgh, and DuBois, Pa., Giordano said. The Allegheny was expected to crest at two to four feet above flood stage at various points Saturday; the Monongahela was to reach flood stage near Braddock, but crest below it at other points, he said. The Ohio River was to crest at four to eight feet above flood stage at various points downriver from Pittsburgh.

Rendell declared a disaster emergency in Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler and Washington counties late Friday as the record rainfall prompted widespread evacuations, shut down major roads, and trapped people in buildings and on bridges.

Rendell's expanded disaster declaration covers Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Bradford, Butler, Centre, Clarion, Clinton, Clearfield, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Fulton, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Susquehanna, Union, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland and Wyoming counties.

Rain and winds knocked out power to as many as 92,000 customers across western Pennsylvania Friday night, according to Allegheny Power and Duquesne Light. Allegheny Power reported about 25,000 customers still without power early Saturday afternoon, and Duquesne Light reported about 14,000 - with some of those not expected to regain service until Monday.

Many people were also without water or were being urged by local officials to conserve water. In the South Hills, the mall parking lot at the South Hills Village was empty Saturday morning; a sign there said the mall was closed because they didn't have water.

Water continued to block many smaller low-lying roads in central and western Pennsylvania Saturday. People were evacuated from some flood-prone areas in Lycoming, Clinton and Snyder counties.

In the Lehigh Valley, creeks in Bethlehem and Lower Macungie Township spilled over their banks, while forecasters said the Lehigh River could crest in low-lying areas by 5 p.m. Saturday.