DRUMS, Pa. — UPDATE:
Emergency evacuation declaration for Maple Street, Oak Drive, Nesco Manor, Edgewood Road, and James Lane. Please evacuate due to flash flooding in your area.
Angelo Lorenzo of Drums walks his two-year-old pet pig to a neighbor's home on higher ground.
Lorenzo and his family are leaving their own home, headed to his mother's in Harding to weather out the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
Lorenzo lives on Nesco Manor Road.
Butler Township officials said homes along the road need to be evacuated due to rising water from Nescopeck Creek.
"Animals on the high ground where it hasn't flooded before. And we're just getting ready to move out," Lorenzo said.
Township officials opened a temporary shelter at the community center for anyone who needed a place to stay the night.
Township Manager Jennifer Pecora said the township taking a proactive stand against the storm after being walloped by flooding in 2011.
"Our primary goal is to keep our residents safe. In 2011 we had some issues with evacuations and people had to be rescued by boat. So, we didn't want it to get to that point so we did a mandatory for a few streets along Nescopeck Creek in Butler Township," Pecora said.
Original story:
Crews with Valley Regional Fire and Rescue were just here on Nesco Manor Road but left about 6 p.m.
The Butler Township manager says the homes on the road were badly flooded 10 years ago when people had to be rescued from homes by boat.
So the township isn't taken any chances with this storm.
There is now a mandatory emergency evacuation of homes and businesses.
However, if a person doesn't want to leave, officials tell that person that they're doing so at their risk.
The township manager says the floodwater is coming from Nescopeck Creek, which is now running over parts of Nesco Manor Road.
There is a shelter set up for anyone here who needs a place to go.
It's at the Butler Township Community Center, 411 West Butler Drive.
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