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Gilberton remains underwater

Flooding leaves properties and vehicles submerged.

GILBERTON, Pa. — Parts of Gilberton are underwater.

Rescue crews were out in boats, telling people along Main Street to leave their homes for safety.

Houses and vehicles were partially submerged, including Peter Slavinsky's truck.

"The truck shut off, it stopped on its own. I just opened the door and jumped out, put it gear and will drag it out," he said.

Fire officials say heavy downpours Thursday flooded Mahanoy Creek.

Gilberton fire and borough officials believe clogged pipes at a bridge project on nearby Route 924 are to blame.

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"It's manmade this time. We flooded like this in 2006; we got 17 inches of rain. We only got 3 inches of rain on Thursday, Wednesday into Thursday but this is the faulty of that bridge down there, pipes clogged. We tried all day yesterday to get a trench dug, they wouldn't do it until they were persuaded to do it," said Gilberton Borough Council President Dan Malloy.

People Newswatch 16 spoke with were shocked by just how fast it all happened and they predict the damage repair and cleanup will take a long time.

"My cellar is filled with water, up to the rafters my oil furnace got it, got wiped out, my water heater got wiped out. And the water keeps rising even though it's not raining," said Vincent Wallace of Gilberton.

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