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Rains wash away boats, docks near Lake Wallenpaupack

Wayne and Pike Counties got slammed with heavy rains and tornado warnings at times Sunday night.

PIKE COUNTY, Pa. — The waters of Wallenpaupack Creek were rushing and muddy after several inches of rain fell. Just a few days ago, the water levels of the creek in Pike County were low, but that's no longer the case.

And first responders have been flooded with calls from the extra precipitation.

"Since yesterday, we got four and a half inches of rain at my house, on top of the three inches we got on top of that, so the ground is pretty well saturated, and it's going roll off and into these creeks," said Ledgedale volunteer firefighter Paul Williams.

A group of people who live and have boats at Sterling Shores Cottagers Association were checking on their property and noticed several boats and a dock were missing.

"Everybody woke up, and our docks were gone, and two boats were gone, so we hopped in the truck, and we went looking for it, and we found it on the other side of the lake," said Abby Sibson,

Sibson says they towed their boat all the way back from Ironwood Point, about five miles away, still attached to the dock and not badly damaged.

"Everything was fine, a little bit of bumps and stuff, but it was good."

Two people on a wave runner had to be rescued after the machine capsized and they were pinned underneath a nearby dock. First responders warn people of the dangerous currents after heavy rainfall and say nothing is worth risking your life over.

"You can't swim a one-knot current. The way it's going now, it's going to take you away, and you're going to have to stay above the water. Don't panic, and then aim for shore and know that you're going to go quite a distance downstream before you can get to shore," Williams said.

The two people on the wave runner were checked out for injuries and were OK. The boats that broke loose were able to be recovered.

Everyone we spoke with says they are just glad no one was injured.

Get the latest Stormtracker 16 forecast here. Check river and stream levels near you here.

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