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Flood-weary Scranton watching the river

With heavy rain in the forecast, Scranton officials say they are ready if the river starts to rise

SCRANTON, Pa. — City officials in Scranton kept a wary eye on the Lackawanna River on Tuesday, with heavy rain expected throughout the day.

Floodgates along West Olive Street in Scranton are open, but the city is keeping an eye on problem areas that have the potential to flood.

As rain picked up Tuesday afternoon, creeks and streams remained at low levels.

A wind advisory and a flood watch pose other problems like debris and downed trees.

In September, flash flooding caused damage to several areas in Scranton, including neighborhoods along creeks and low-lying areas.

Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti says they are keeping an eye on it and are ready to jump into action if anything changes.

"Our flood team is ready. Our basin team is ready. We've got barricades and sandbags ready for trouble spots if they come up. We're always monitoring the rivers, so we've got that monitor going. We're monitoring our pump house," the mayor said. "We don't, at this time, believe that we will need to close the floodgates, but we'll monitor that every few minutes and make sure that we watch that. We did close the floodgates a few weeks ago as a precaution and didn't end up getting to that level, but it was high."  

Mayor Cognetti says if residents see any problems, they can call Scranton DPW, who will be on staff around the clock to address any issues. 

Check river and stream levels near you HERE

Get the full Stormtracker 16 forecast HERE

Information on road closures is available at 511PA.com

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