NICHOLSON, Pa. -- Flooded creeks devastated Nicholson Wednesday morning, forcing early morning water rescues and closed roadways.
Crews were called in when Horton Creek flooded its banks; people were pulled from their homes to safety.
A short time later, Martins Creek and Tunkhannock Creek overflowed, shutting down parts of Routes 11 and 92.
"I went to bed around 11 o'clock and there wasn't even any water in the parking lot. Johnny woke me up at 12:30, said we had to move the cars, it was all the way up in the driveway, that fast!" said Michael Ellenberger of Nicholson.
People sloshed through Oak Street in the borough where homes sat surrounded by flood water.
"For the longest time we didn't see anything like this and now it seems like it's every couple months it seems like something goes on around here,” said homeowner Rich Squier, who spent hours bailing water out of his basement.
In January, Martins Creek flooded its banks due to an ice jam, but the waters did not come up as far as they did this time around.
“Me? I came from California so I just got out here in November so this is a shock to me. First thing I saw was the ice jam and I'm like 'ok, this is insane, now? You know? You can't stop Mother Nature, you know?" said John Woods of Nicholson.
Belvedere Lanes, a bowling alley in Nicholson, was hit hard.
The owner told Newswatch 16 he just spent more than $150,000 to renovate the lane and he planned to reopen them soon, but now they are too soggy now.
Dawna Ellenberger owns the house across the street from the bowling alley.
"It's heartbreaking, it really is, it just you know? My basement is totally full, we just went grocery shopping, everything all the food is wasted because my freezers are floating,” she said.
Eliza Frank’s basement is flooded, too.
“It’s frustrating, it's honestly, just kind of like, 21 years, this is probably the 5th flood I've been in. I'm done, I want to be on a hill, but it is what it is,” she said.