SCRANTON, Pa. — With the rain falling, the work began early Wednesday morning as crews closed the flood gates along the Lackawanna River on Albright Avenue in Scranton.
"We love the dyke and the flood gates. We live in the first house on the other side, and we've had water five times in the house so, this is great for us," said city resident Ned Holmes.
City leaders declared a state of emergency, and they said they are ready with barricades to put up along flood-prone streets and signs warning drivers to steer clear of water-covered roadways.
This comes as Governor Wolf declares a state-wide emergency: getting teams ready to respond to expected flooding all across the state.
"That's excellent; get everybody aware, just let them know. Fortunately, in this neighborhood, now we call it this beautiful dyke and gate system. (It) Sounds like the river is definitely going to be up by the end of the day, definitely going to cause some problems," said Holmes.
Wolf said state emergency workers are already coordinating with city and county leaders about how best to cope with what is coming, and he has asked federal officials to lower requirements for events like this one to qualify for disaster aid.
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