# Pennsylvania Dopers: Are you coping? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 7, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527 "2011-09-07T19:15:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/41 "2011-09-08T17:36:05Z")
I have a friend that lives in Anneville PA, she said it is horrible. She has 3 feet of water in her basement, her street is flooded, blocked off both ends. Two of her daughters and 5 grandkids are staying with her. She said the Hersey zoo had to euthanize 2 bison to keep them from drowning. Y’all stay safe! ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/42 "2011-09-08T17:42:41Z")
Originally from Edwardsville. Kingston is mostly evacuated or getting out and part of 80 near Danville is closed because of Fishing Creek flooding and filling a low spot. Folks are saying this could top Agnes in 72 for damage. Knoebels yesterday before the water really started to jump up. Yes ----- the Birthday Cake is almost to the roof. [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150779506225551&set=pu.207828210550&type=1&theater](http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150779506225551&set=pu.207828210550&type=1&theater) ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/43 "2011-09-08T17:46:55Z")
Those pictures of Knoebels make me sad. We went there every year at least once when I was a kid. I remember that throughout the park there were signs indicating how high the flood waters were during Hurricane Agnes, and I always thought, “That’s unbelievable, the water could never be that high.” Guess I was wrong. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/44 "2011-09-08T17:47:18Z")
My normal ten-minute commute to the office was, instead, an hour and 15 minutes. Only one road was open between my house and the office, due to the flooding. No significant water in my basement as of this morning, but I’m expecting a lot of damp when I get home. I just hope there’s no standing water, and that my power stays on. How much more rain are we supposed to expect today? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/45 "2011-09-08T17:51:58Z")
So far my basement is still dry. The rain stopped about an hour or so ago and it is almost pleasant outside, if rather humid. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/46 "2011-09-08T17:56:01Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > So far my basement is still dry. The rain stopped about an hour or so ago and it is almost pleasant outside, if rather humid. Same here. It’s spitting a little, but not much more. Our basement is dry, as far as I can see from the landing. Our front door is swelled shut, though. We’re entering and leaving the house from the kitchen right now. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/47 "2011-09-08T18:06:05Z")
Five dead, and several bridges knocked out. People around here don’t know that anything is going on around there. I guess it’s not national news. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/48 "2011-09-08T19:06:59Z")
Just got a call that tomorrow I’m expected to go in, so someone some where must think that the waters will start to go down. Still no rain as of now, which is good. ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/49 "2011-09-08T19:18:03Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > I’ve been back in the UK for two years now, but there are still two specific people I’m concerned about that I can’t contact directly. If anyone can tell me what general conditions are in these areas, I’d be grateful. > > One of them is in Linglestown - can’t give any more info than that. The other lives up a hill next to Swatara Creek, just off Derry St in Harrisburg/Paxtang borough. Linglestown, while a small town, has pretty varying topography. If they are in a low lying area, I would expect moderate flooding. My parents are just outside of Linglestown, in Susquehanna Township close to the mountain. They are fine, the basement sump pump is working and pumping out water. The township has said that their water supply will be compromised and all residents should have 3 days of drinking water on hand. I have no specific information about Paxtang/Derry Street. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/50 "2011-09-08T19:50:42Z")
> [@Minnie\_Luna](#): > > Linglestown, while a small town, has pretty varying topography. If they are in a low lying area, I would expect moderate flooding. My parents are just outside of Linglestown, in Susquehanna Township close to the mountain. They are fine, the basement sump pump is working and pumping out water. The township has said that their water supply will be compromised and all residents should have 3 days of drinking water on hand. > > I have no specific information about Paxtang/Derry Street. I saw some photos of Paxtang and Derry Street in particular on the Patriot News site, and it looked pretty awful. One photo showed the street my mother grew up on, in Paxtang (though it didn’t show her house). Interesting about Linglestown. I grew up quite near there, and I think of it as being fairly low-lying, but I don’t recall what creeks are near it. The far end of Linglestown Road (PA route 39) near Hershey is a mess. That’s a fair distance from Lingletown itself. My brother and SIL live not too far from Linglestown. SIL said they’d been advised the water might go out. I suggested she fill up a bathtub with water they could use for emergencies, toilet-flushing etc. (assuming the sewers are still flowing). ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/51 "2011-09-08T20:02:57Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > … > One of them is in Linglestown - can’t give any more info than that. The other lives up a hill next to Swatara Creek, just off Derry St in Harrisburg/Paxtang borough. Swatara Creek has some significant flooding. If your friend is high enough up the hill, he might be OK with just water in the basement. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/52 "2011-09-08T20:10:41Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I was thinking the same thing. We’re not getting your floods, but we had a lot of tornados back in June. And winter wasn’t very kind to either of us. > > 2011 will go down in history as the year of freaky weather. If only! It seems likely to me that the freaky weather is likely to get worse, so bad that even a Republican might notice. But don’t hold your breath on that. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/53 "2011-09-08T20:18:59Z")
> [@Minnie\_Luna](#): > > AFAIK, I didn’t think there were any warnings. The ground is just saturated and can’t hold any more water. [Here](http://www.wgal.com/slideshow/weather/29093767/detail.html) is the link to the Harrisburg NBC Affiliate, for breaking news. > > From friends on Facebook, I have heard that a number of schools let out early and low lying areas are being evacuated. Small creeks are in danger of flooding. Basements are being cleared out in anticipation of flooding. Every child’s worst nightmare has come true in Bradford County (which I don’t live in). Instead of cancelling school or letting it out early one district is _keeping the kids overnight_! :eek: Presumably if a parent/guardian does manage to make it to the school they’ll release the kid into their custody (a waiver might be involved). That’s really bad. How does that even work? 😕 Does the school have a supply of cots & sleeping bags locked up somewhere? Do they get toiletries? Do they have regular classes the next day, or what? I’ve only been kept after school (well for weather-related reasons :o) once; in high school, and that was only for an hour & a half. One of my teachers made vauge comments that there were contigency plans for keeping students overnight. He said something about all the girls being locked in the gym with their chaperones because state law required they be secured behind locked doors. I think the boys would’ve ended up in the cafeteria (which didn’t have have doors to lock). > [@Guinastasia](#): > > I’m in Pittsburgh, and we got the worst of it in the last few weeks – a big flood downtown, three people were killed. We also got some _tremors_. WTF??? Well, at least the bodies of the recently deceased aren’t returning to life to feast on the living (_yet_). 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/54 "2011-09-08T20:25:29Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Interesting about Linglestown. I grew up quite near there, and I think of it as being fairly low-lying, but I don’t recall what creeks are near it. The far end of Linglestown Road (PA route 39) near Hershey is a mess. That’s a fair distance from Lingletown itself. > > My brother and SIL live not too far from Linglestown. SIL said they’d been advised the water might go out. I suggested she fill up a bathtub with water they could use for emergencies, toilet-flushing etc. (assuming the sewers are still flowing). We lived on the side of Blue Mountain in Linglestown, so I think of the topography as variable. I do remember Koons Park in Linglestown flooding at least a couple of times growing up. My mom spoke to one of our old neighbors and she said one of the creeks on the side of the mountain had flooded the road, so I guess even those in higher elevations are not safe. ---
**Author:** ![Pandora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eada6e/32.png) [@Pandora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pandora)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/55 "2011-09-08T20:39:47Z")
Well, I’ve spent a little more than 9 hours commuting to and from work so far this week, and we were closed on Monday - so that pretty sucks Other than tons of traffic, and some road flooding things haven’t been too bad for me so far _knock wood_. For those keeping track, I live in Berks County (rural) but work just outside of Philly in Plymouth Meeting. My commute takes me pretty much the length of Montgomery County every day. -Pandora ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/56 "2011-09-09T00:26:58Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/5IxnLmCAwZI/maxresdefault.jpg "The Pennsylvania Flood of 2011 slideshow") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IxnLmCAwZI) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/57 "2011-09-09T00:46:55Z")
> [@Minnie\_Luna](#): > > We lived on the side of Blue Mountain in Linglestown, so I think of the topography as variable. I do remember Koons Park in Linglestown flooding at least a couple of times growing up. > > My mom spoke to one of our old neighbors and she said one of the creeks on the side of the mountain had flooded the road, so I guess even those in higher elevations are not safe. I’m mostly familiar with the stretch within a few blocks of Mountain / 39 (including the park) so I can imagine there are parts that are hilly - we used to occasionally drive over the mountain. I’m glad I’m not driving that today!! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/58 "2011-09-09T01:16:20Z")
After hearing the rain pouring outside late last night (early this morning, really) I took a personal day. Both Kelly and West River Drive and the Expressway were closed for a large part of the day (not that I can ride on the Expressway). I didn’t feel like using any of the other ways (Ridge Ave sucks) so I gave up. Don’t know what I’ll do for tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/59 "2011-09-09T01:37:42Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Well, at least the bodies of the recently deceased aren’t returning to life to feast on the living (_yet_). 😛 Not until George Romero gets here. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527/60 "2011-09-09T14:00:39Z")
They’re saying the flood damage in and around my hometown is “worse than Agnes”, the previous yardstick for that kind of thing. Whole roads have been washed away, and several bridges are out. Down at my dad’s house in York he is still pumping water out. He tried to sound optimistic on the phone but it sounds like he’s lost a lot. He’s got friends and family down helping with him now…I’m going to be there next weekend to help him move stuff and go through what might have been damaged. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-dopers-are-you-coping/595527.md?page=4)