TRUCKSVILLE, Pa. — Preparation is important here at Konopinski Power Equipment in the Back Mountain.
Yesterday Owner Brian Konopinski put up cement blocks as temporary walls and lined up some of the company's power equipment as a barrier. The business sits along Toby Creek and Konopinski said he was nervous. The store flooded in 2006 and had a close call in 2011. Konopinski said there was a lot of damage here back then so they are doing what they can do to prevent it from happening again, using a pipe in the creek as a gauge.
"It's usually about 4.5-5 feet from the bottom of the pipe. Once it gets up from the bottom of the pipe, then we know things are starting to get serious. As you see, it's already up to the top of the pipe, so it's going to get bad," Konopinski said.
Konopinski said the temporary walls took about two hours to set up.
Luzerne County emergency management officials say they're monitoring the levels of creeks, streams, and, of course, the Susquehanna River.
But their biggest concern is flash flooding throughout the county.
Newswatch 16's Jon Meyer has a look at projected river levels across Northeast and Central Pennsylvania.
For more information on levels of creeks and rivers, check out wnep.com/riverlevels