Tropical Storm Lee's Remnants Causing Trouble In PA and NY
Officials in Pennsylvania are calling for a mandatory evacuation of over 100,000 residents in the northeast portion of the state who live along the Susquehanna River. The river is expected to crest today at over forty feet which is the same height as the levee which is serving as protection to the many communities situated on the banks of the Susquehanna.

Affected residents in Pennsylvania are being told to pack clothing, non-perishable food items and medications before leaving their homes. These evacuations are due to tropical storm Lee's remnants which have dumped heavy rainfall amounts on the area and caused a whole lot of trouble for many living in the Northeast. Lee has already flooded countless roadways in Pennsylvania and has caused many businesses and schools to close.

Meanwhile in eastern New York state, thousands of people are ready to evacuate their homes in areas where the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers meet. In Broome County and Bridghamton NY the flood damage could be in the hundreds of millions, at least 10,000 people are already under mandatory evacuation orders. The National Weather Service is saying that the rainfall will continue to be heavy across many eastern states through Friday morning with up to seven inches or more rain expected to fall. Some isolated area may see ten or more inches fall by mid-day Friday. Prattsville, New York has become isolated because its main roadway is under water. Work crews are trying to dredge local streams and creeks to try to control the floodwaters which have been rushing into many yards and homes there.

Tropical storm Lee formed just off the Louisiana coastline late last week and it gained momentum as it remained in the Gulf of Mexico for two to three days. New Orleans got over twelve inches of rain from Lee before it moved out of the area and took aim on the Northeastern coastline. Lee has been a very slow moving system which has been dumping large amounts of rain on already weather weary, soaked communities which were still cleaning up from Irene.

A man lost his life Wednesday in Derry, PA as he was removing floodwater from his basement. The walls of his home buckled, crushing him. Another person drowned early Thursday in Lancaster county and a third individual lost his life when stranded outside his vehicle which was stuck in flood water – he was struck by another vehicle. People in Pennsylvania are being told to use common sense and extreme caution when near flood water. They also are being reminded not to wade in water as the currents can very easily sweep them off their feet.