MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — While many Monroe County residents are staying inside as heavy rain falls, Chief Bruce Barton of PA Search and Rescue Recovery Teams and a dozen other first responders are at the Pocono Township Fire Department, ready and waiting for a call.
"The ground is frozen, so the water is not going to go into the ground. It's going to try and run, and a lot of the runoff areas are packed with snow and plowed and banked up. So the whole situation of where the water goes is totally different from what it would normally be," said Chief Bruce Barton, PA Search and Rescue Recovery Teams.
The Stormtracker 16 Team says this part of the Poconos could see some of the highest rainfall totals.
And with Pocono Township having a history of flooding issues, rescue crews say the fire department is the best place for three different volunteer groups to set up their equipment.
"That way, if something happened, at least they have a life jacket," said Marc Lemoi, Crew Member.
"There's another boat in the trailer; we have that one in there, and then we have another one outside, so there's actually four boats here," said Chief Barton.
Barton says while first responders are ready to answer any call, he would be fine without one urging everyone to stay safe, "You don't know what's there, so the best thing to do is to turn around, don't drown."
Chief Barton expects his crew to sit tight until late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning once the heaviest rain is behind us.