LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Bob Trusavage spends a lot of time looking at the Susquehanna River from his home in West Pittston. He says it's been a recent cause for concern, ever since he heard the Northeast was going to be pounded with snow last week.
"Oh, definitely," said Trusavage. "I said I hope it's not a repeat of '95, '96 because that was the year my dad passed away, and then next thing you know, we have all the snow. And then it melted in one day. We got flooded."
Trusavage fears that may be the case again when all this snow, and snow from up north melts and makes its way into the river.
"It leaves just as fast, but what it leaves behind us the problem," he added. "Destruction devastation. For a lot of the people. And it's Christmas, and it's 2020 on top of it and the COVID."
The National Weather Service is keeping a close eye on rainfall, snow melts, and river levels. Right now, it's predicting that the river will reach a height in Wilkes-Barre of about 34 feet, but that will have an impact, up and down the river valley, especially in low lying areas and in places like West Pittston.
The estimate by the National Weather Service is subject to change, but what doesn't change are the effects of the river at certain levels.
"Yeah, this is a big turning point for West Pittston because we've already lost a lot of these back depths that houses the line the street, and I was always afraid another flood will just be the, you know, no tax base. I'll probably be the last man standing," added Trusavage.
If you want to keep an eye on the river level predictions and want that could mean for your community, you can find information here.