SOUTH ABINGTON TOWNSHIP – Flash flooding in Lackawanna County Wednesday night shut down roads and left hundreds of drivers stranded. The flooding also closed some businesses in the Clarks Summit area.
Sweeping, scraping and drying out, businesses along Northern Boulevard near Clarks Summit worked to pick up debris Mother Nature tossed around during Wednesday evening’s rush hour.
The waters that brought traffic and business to a halt are now gone. Gourmet Family Restaurant is back open and all of the damage was kept outside thanks to some quick work.
"Mostly sandbagging, we had to sandbag the restaurant which helps. It hasn't gone in or anything like that," said Gourmet Family Restaurant employee Nancy Davis.
Davis spent most of the morning cleaning up the parking lot instead of cooking in the kitchen.
"Just mostly sweeping, picking up big branches, but the mud is still laying around. We have to wait until we get big equipment in,” said Davis.
There was even more mud left just down the road at the Comfort Inn where crews worked for hours spraying away dirt and debris.
Nearby, Spotless Cleaners was airing out carpets after flood waters filled the store.
"Our store and a vacant rental spot in our building had between an inch and two inches of water in it,” said Larry Nicholais of Spotless Cleaners.
The store’s management believes clearing out the drainage around the creek could have helped avoid this mess in the first place.
"Absolutely, the lack of maintenance on the culvert on Leggetts Creek and the retention pond off the Turnpike exit is what caused all the problems, no doubt in my mind,” said Nicholais.
But businesses are thankful to have their doors open and the lights on after a night like this.