the rising: the flood, in words and images

WB_VOICE/PAGES [E01] | 10/05/11 02:02 | SUPERIMPSC

THE RISINGSUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2011

The flood, in words and images

THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

WB_VOICE/ADVERTISING/AD_PAGES [E02] | 10/05/11 02:02 | SUPERIMPSC

www.sectv.com570-825-8508 CABLE TV &

COMMUNICATIONS2010

Keeping you connected and informed throughcalm and storm

E2 – THE SUNDAY VOICE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2011


One month ago, the Susquehanna River surged to a record crest of

42.66 feet, devastating communities from West Pittston to Shickshinny

and inflicting unprecedented stress on the levee system protecting

Wilkes-Barre and the west side.

Today, we look back at the harrowing days before the flood — the

dire projections, the preparations and the calls for evacuation — and

the heartbreaking aftermath in this special 32-page, full-color section

that is anchored by striking images captured by our award-winning

photo department.

Our story, authored by award-winning staff reporter Michael R.

Sisak, is presented as a chronological narrative. It is infused with

never-before reported anecdotes from the leaders and residents who

almost lost it all, and accented with key breaking-news messages from

the Voice’s Twitter feed, actual updates from the newspaper’s online

and print editions, and coverage of the flood on the network news.

We are especially pleased to announce that this special section has

been produced as a community-wide fundraiser with tremendous

support from the advertisers throughout the section. Proceeds from this

historic section are being donated to the Red Cross Local Flood Relief.

Together, we are fighting back from this historic flood.

Sincerely,LARRY HOLEVA

Managing Editor, The Citizens’ Voice

TO OUR READERSTheRising

Looking back, paying forward

Times-Shamrock Communications and WNEP-TV Chan-nel 16 have teamed up to help the American Red Crossprovide disaster relief to local flood victims. Send your tax-deductible contribution to P.O. Box 526, Scranton, Pa.

18501 or via localfloodrelief.com. All proceeds will go toflood victims in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania.

+THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 A woman watches from her porch as the

Susquehanna River spills onto River Road in Port Blanchard, JenkinsTownship about 15 hours before the river’s record 42.66-foot crest.

MICHAEL R. SISAK / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

3.99%APR* Borrow up to $7000

For Up to 36 months

Your Community Credit Union

www.crossvalleyfcu.orgThis credit union is open to residents of Luzerne, Lackawanna & Wyoming Counties

Main Office: 640 Baltimore Drive, Wilkes Barre, PA 18702

Rates aslow as

2011 Flood Victims-Disaster Relief LoanLocations in Wilkes Barre, Forty Fort, Dallas, Mountaintop, Hazleton & Coming Soon to Pittston!

2011 Flood Victims-Disaster Relief Loan2011 Flood Victims-Disaster Relief Loan2011 Flood Victims-Disaster Relief LoanAPR*= Annual Percentage Rate. Membership requirements apply. Rates shown are for qualified borrowers who meet certain credit criteria. Rates and terms subject to change without notice. Other rates and terms available. Upon applying for this loan you must show proof ofresidence and the residence must be located in an area affected by recent flooding. Repayment for rate shown in as many as 36 monthly payments of $29.53 per $1000.00 borrowed. Contact the credit union for full loan details. Offer available now through October 31, 2011.

3.99%APR* Borrow up to $7000

For Up to 36 months

Rates aslow as

THE SUNDAY VOICE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2011 – E3


MARK MORAN / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2011 Tropical Storm Lee pounded the Northeast with rain for days, causing severe flooding and turning River Street in Wilkes-Barre into a car wash.

®

There’s only one way to recover. Together.E4 – THE SUNDAY VOICE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2011


TheRising

3days in SeptemberByMichael R. SisakWITHREPORTING BY THE STAFF OF THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

The rain won’t stop. For 36 hours, the torrents of an-

other strong tropical system pound the Northeast, soaking

already sodden ground, swelling creeks and sending shiv-

ers of unease through Susquehanna River communities

haunted by the record flooding of four decades past.

The usually tranquil Susquehanna, inundated by an

estimated 2.4 trillion gallons of rainwater, fills fast, taxing

levees and decimating riverside communities upstream in

New York State. The National Weather Service, which on

Tuesday projected the river would crest in Wilkes-Barre on

Friday at a manageable 26½ feet, revises its forecast twice,

to 30.8 feet and then to an alarming 38 feet — only three feet

below the record set in 1972.

Emergency officials in Luzerne County, who on Tuesday

cautioned, “It’s a little too early to push the ‘panic button,’”

tell residents in low-lying communities to leave immediately.

“You don’t want to mess with Mother Nature,” Jim Broze-

na, the executive director of the county’s flood protection

authority, warns.

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceRT@cvpatsweet: Recommending evacuations

in areas unprotected by levee system. #luzflood

7 Sep, 5:36 p.m.

Officials order the immediate fortification of the coun-

ty’s 15-mile levee system, anticipating the flood walls will

face their greatest test since a project in the mid-2000s to

increase their height to 44 feet from 36 feet. Workers are

dispatched to close large portal walls at the River Common

Park in Wilkes-Barre and install temporary floodgates

along the Market Street Bridge connecting Wilkes-Barre

and Kingston.

School administrators are asked to close their district’s

schools on Thursday. Some of their buildings will be used

as shelters, county officials say.

Steve Bekanich, the county’s emergency management

director, says flooding from the projected 38-foot river crest

will cause “catastrophic damage” to communities not pro-

tected by the levee system.

Bekanich and other county officials review the worst-

case scenarios with municipal leaders during a 5:30 p.m.,

Wednesday briefing at the county’s emergency manage-

ment command center in Wilkes-Barre.

The mayor of one of those communities, Beverly Moore,

of Shickshinny, braces herself as she hovers near a com-

puter screen in the spacious, state-of-the-art command

center, waiting for a flood inundation map to load. When it

does, she and council president Rosalie Whitebread gasp

and hold a hand to their mouths. If the forecast holds, ac-

cording to the map, nearly three quarters of the borough

will be under water.

“That’s our whole town,” Moore says.

Route 11, a main artery through the borough, will be

impassible; downtown businesses, inundated; the borough,

ravaged.

Reeling, Moore leans forward and points to a spot on the

screen: her neighborhood along the river. “How high will it

be there?” she asks.

More than nine feet, a county official says.

“* * * * ,” she exclaims.●

In communities not protected by the levees, the shifting

river-level forecast toys with emotions and the window for

evacuations.

Attorney Michael Butera goes through much of the day

assuming the river will crest early Friday morning at the

Aminute-by-minute account of the record rise and fall of the Susquehanna River


A worker pulls equipment from Banko’s in West Nanticoke.

DAVE SCHERBENCO / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

The Market Street Bridge in Wilkes-Barre is shut down.

BUCCILASER VISIONwww.BucciVision.com

1-877-DR-BUCCI

“ Coming together is a beginning, Keeping togetheris progress, Working together is success ”

~ Henry FordTHE SUNDAY VOICE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2011 – E5


THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 An emergency responder from thePittston Volunteer Fire Department attempts to save a mancaught in the rising Susquehanna River on SusquehannaAvenue in West Pittston at 11:15 a.m. Thursday. Witnessessaid the man tried to bicycle through the water.

CHARLES SCHILLINGER / TIMES-SHAMROCK

CREDIT UNIONS HELPING CREDIT UNIONS DURING DISASTER

Grant applications are available through your credit union.Grants range from $500 to $1,500.

Contact you credit union office for assistance.

Recent flooding has devastated many members of our credit union community. If you are a member,volunteer or employee of a local credit union...



TheRising

RALPH FRANCELLO / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

original forecast level of 26½ feet.

At that height, Butera figures, his home along the river on

Susquehanna Avenue in West Pittston will be spared.

“That puts it on the street in front of my house, barely,

but it’s not even in my yard, it’s not in my basement, no

worries at all,” Butera says.

The forecast changes while Butera works. Between a trip

to the county courthouse in Wilkes-Barre, lunch and after-

noon meetings with clients, Butera remains unaware of the

new projection until 6 p.m., when a client wonders if a hear-

ing scheduled for Thursday morning would still be on.

“He says, ‘think we’re going to have court?’” Butera

recalls. “I said, ‘what do you mean?’ He said, ‘Well, they’re

predicting a 38-foot crest.’ I said, ‘Are you ****in’ me?’”

Butera, a veteran of the 1972 flood and three floods within

the last 15 years, races home across the bridge to West

Pittston and calculates his next move.

“Now I’m wondering do I start evacuating, do I start mov-

ing stuff or do I — if it’s 35-feet, then it’s confined to my

basement and I don’t have to worry,” Butera says, echoing

the rapid-fire decision making of thousands of residents

in vulnerable swaths from Exeter Township in the north to

Shickshinny in the south.●

In West Nanticoke, south of the levee system, the high

river-level forecast forces a rare evacuation of one of the

community’s fire stations. The Tilbury station on East Pop-

lar Street was not evacuated during flooding in September

2004 and June 2006 and emerged unscathed. A projected

crest of 38 feet, however, would put two feet of water inside

the station’s garages, potentially hindering an emergency

response, Line Chief Andy Novak says.

“When they’re calling for 30 feet, 30 feet, 30 feet, and then

they hit you with 38, that’s not good,” Novak says. “It’s

been one of those days, when they drop a bomb on you at 4

o’clock and we’ve got to get all these people out probably by

8 in the morning.”●

Butera takes everything from his basement to ground lev-

el, but decides to remain in his home despite the evacuation

order. The attorney’s reasoning: the river never reached the

projections for floods in 2004 and 2006 and in those events

his home never sustained first-floor damage.

Still, Butera can’t rest easy. The river-level projections

don’t mesh with what he sees out his front window.

“I was up all night long,” Butera says. “3:30 in the morn-

ing, I’m watching it come up and I’m listening to what

they’re saying it’s at. It’s coming up a foot every hour-

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 Army National Guard Sgt. Alex Pell rescues Tiffany Horner from her West Pittston home.

“May the road rise to meet you,May the wind be always at your back,May the sun shine warm upon your face,May the rains fall soft upon your fields,And, until we meet again,May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.”

654-41411120 Oak St. • Pittston Twp.




THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 A woman struggles

to get around as river water surrounds her

Courtright Street, Plains Township home.

Comprehensive eye exams available by DOCTORS OF OPTOMETRY

CRYSTAL VISION CENTERwww.crystalvisioncenter.com

Some restrictions apply. Not valid w/other offers,prior purchases, sales, discounts or insurance plans. SCRANTON

Dr. Marc PensakDr. Chuck Whittling & Assoc.Keyser Ave. (Across from Keyser Oak Plaza)

961-1400

WILKES-BARREDr. Shelley Eskin, Dr. Frank GazdaDr. Chuck Whittling602 Carey Ave.

826-1700

WYOMINGDr. Lew E. LissesMidway Shopping Center

288-7471

DALLASDr. Megan WesnakRt. 309, Country ClubShopping Center

675-8888

TUNKHANNOCKDr. Chuck Whittling,Dr. Megan Wesnak, Dr. Frank GazdaRoute 6 Next to Wisnosky Jeweler

836-3700

$29Starting at

Complete Pairof Eyeglasses

Single VisionPlastic LensesChoose any framesup to $49 or $49 OFFany Frame. FT 28Bifocals add $29,Progressives add $89.Eye ExamNot Included.

Outside prescriptionsare accepted and

guaranteed - a CrystalVision Center exclusive

NEW!!!!!Receive $$$ Savings OffersProducts News Every Month

www.crystalvisioncenter.com

• 2 Frames Up to $49. Each or $49 Off Any Frame • 2 PairsSV Plastic Lenses - FT28 Bifocals Add $29. Per Pair,

Progressives Add $89. Per Pair • 2 Hard Shell Cases • 1EyeExam - Refraction, Glaucoma Test, Cataract Screening, Color

Test, Depth Perception, Eye Health (dilation if necessary)

Includes Eye Exam & 2 Pairs of Eyeglasses

CompleteDeal$69 Save $126.00

• 2 Frames Up to $89. Each or $89 Off Any Frame (designer &tech styles) • 2 Pairs SV Plastic Lenses - FT28 Bifocals Add $29.Per Pair, Progressives Add $89. Per Pair • 2 Hard Shell Cases •1Eye Exam - Refraction, Glaucoma Test, Cataract Screening,

Color Test, Depth Perception, Eye Health (dilation if necessary)

CompleteDeal$129 Save $186.00

Includes Eye Exam & 2 Pairs of Eyeglasses

• 4 Boxes of Disposable Contact Lenses• FREE Single Vision Lenses with the Purchase of Frames

• Contact Lens Fitting and Follow-up Care• 1Eye Exam

DisposableContacts &Eyeglasses

$139We provide for: Davis Vision, Blue Cross Blue Shield, NVA, VBA, Coast to Coast Discount Plan,

EyeCarePlan 2020, Spectrum Vision, VSP (out of network provider), Opitcal discount programs.



TheRising

and-a-half and it’s not going to crest until Friday morning.

You don’t have to be a mathematician to figure out it’s going

to be horrendous.”

Butera, thinking of the safety of his wife, 12-year-old son

and disabled mother-in-law, finally decides to bail. He runs

through the house, waking them up. They quickly pack suit-

cases and he drives them to his sister’s house.

Within two hours, when Butera returns to collect some

clothing — suits and dress shirts for court, for instance

— and move a few prized possessions to higher ground, the

house is surrounded by water.

“I have a grandfather clock that’s worth a lot of money

— and I laid it on top of the biggest couch I had,” Butera

says. “Now I’m figuring catastrophic, Agnes levels, I can

get 18 inches. So I’m putting things on top of beds, on top

of dressers, on top of everything. I figured, if it came up to

Agnes levels — true Agnes levels — and I only got 18 inches

on my main floor, I could have saved a lot of stuff.”

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceBREAKING: Mandatory evacuation by 8 p.m.

tonight for all areas affected by Agnes Flood.

Crest expected of 39.6 feet by 5 a.m. Friday.

8 Sep, 6:35 a.m.

The forecast shifts again, overnight, confirming Butera’s

suspicions of a higher, faster crest. The river is now ex-

pected to peak early Friday morning at 39.6 feet, according

to the National Weather Service.

County officials meet at the emergency management com-

mand center at 6 a.m. to discuss ordering a full-scale evacu-

ation for communities protected by the levees. They wait

until morning, County Commissioner Stephen A. Urban

says, because the levees aren’t in any immediate danger.

“We wanted people in the protected areas to get a good

night’s sleep,” Urban says. “We didn’t want to alarm them

because we knew the levees were not going to be affected

that night, so we waited until the next morning to review

the forecast and as the river forecasts were revised upward

— I believe it was about 4 in the morning that I heard it was

going to go to 39.6 — that’s when I made a personal deci-

sion that when I went in at 6 that I was going to support an

evacuation.”

Urban and the other county commissioners, Maryanne

Petrilla and Thomas P. Cooney, appear alongside BrozenaMICHAEL R. SISAK / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 Police survey flooding as the river spills onto River Road in the Port Blanchard area.

QualityCabinetsCommon Name. Uncommon Value

Cabinets from Economy to CustomFLOOD VICTIMS

QUALITY FOR FACTORYDIRECT PRICING.

ANSTETT’S KITCHENSWe Specialize in Kitchens & Bars

12 EAST CAREY STREET PLAINS, PA.570-825-7530 • www.anstettkitchens.com




THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 Dave Fanfanandre, an emergencymanagment volunteer from Lake Silkworth, answers a callat the Luzerne County emergency command center.

Man never madeanymaterialas resilient

as the human spirit.

Proudly supporting our communities since 1907

Dallas • Lake • Luzerne • Plains • Swoyersville • Wilkes-Barre • Wyoming • Hazle Twp.www.luzernebank.com



and Bekanich in the cramped media room in the emergency

management command center shortly after the 6 a.m. meet-

ing. Television cameras and reporters line the far side of

the room. Cables run along the floor to idling microwave

trucks outside. Their announcement is carried live across

Northeastern Pennsylvania: residents in a 22-mile zone af-

fected by the 1972 flooding must leave by 8 p.m.

“We do want to emphasize there is time,” Bekanich says.

“We want to make sure people do this orderly and safely.

Take into account your neighbors and friends. Go and

check on them if you know someone who is homebound or

has medical needs.”

The American Red Cross establishes emergency shelters

at a dozen high schools and colleges from Wilkes-Barre to

the Back Mountain, accommodating nearly 5,000 people.

Community volunteers and inmates from the Luzerne

County Correctional Facility work furiously to fill thou-

sands of sand bags that are placed along floodgates and in

front of county offices. The Pennsylvania National Guard

deploys hundreds of troops to aid local authorities. The

Wyoming Valley is in full-scale crisis mode.

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceCommissioner Urban on live TV asking all in

flood zone to evacuate by 4 pm. Tinge of

nervousness in his voice. #luzflood

8 Sep, 9:35 a.m.

Suddenly there isn’t as much time. Three hours after the

initial call to evacuate the areas protected by the levee, the

forecast shifts yet again. This time, the National Weather

Service projects the river to crest late Thursday evening at

40.7 feet — inches below the 1972 record.

“The Wilkes-Barre area is of great concern to us,” a

weather service meteorologist says during a midday update.

County officials listen on a speakerphone in the main

room of the command center. Behind them, a large screen

displays a graph of the latest river levels and projections: on

average, the river is rising at least 10 inches every hour. An-

other screen shows a radar loop of the storm system: wide

bands of green, orange and red stretching from Maryland

to Vermont.

“(The river) is just rocketing up,” the meteorologist says.

County officials, including the commissioners and

Bekanich, discuss the new forecast behind closed doors

and emerge just after 9:30 a.m. with a new evacuation

deadline: 4 p.m.

Urban, a retired army lieutenant colonel, announces the

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL R. SISAK / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

TheRising

Thursday: Officials listen to a conference call in which meterologists call Wilkes-Barre an area of ‘great concern.’

Emergency management director Steve Bekanich. Commissioners Stephen A. Urban and Maryanne Petrilla.

1313 WYOMING AVE.EXETER

655-8801

639 WYOMING AVE.KINGSTON

287-9631

TV AND APPLIANCES

“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift.That’s why it’s called the present.”

– Bil Keane



KRISTEN MULLEN / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 Wilkes-Barre evacuees Kim R.

and her daughter Arianna J., 5, rest on their cot at a shelter

at G.A.R. High School shelter in Wilkes-Barre.

To schedule an appointment with GEM-Riverside,Rehabilitation, obtain a physician’s referral for outpatient

therapy and call the nearest facility.



TheRising

accelerated timetable at another media room briefing. He

sounds anxious.

“We want people to heed our order and leave,” Urban

says. “It’s significant. We want them to leave. We want to

protect lives.”

Residents near the levee in Kingston and Edwardsville

scramble to move household items to higher ground before

leaving. Emergency vehicles patrol up and down the streets,

spreading word of the evacuation order.

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ Voice#luzflood EMA director: anyone who ignores

evacuation warning is taking their Iives into

their own hands.”

7 Sep, 9:45 a.m.

Mike Thurtson, who lives three blocks from the river on

Market Street in Kingston, refuses to comply because he

believes the levee will hold. Legally, the authorities can not

force him from his home.

“When I see a wave come down the street, I know it’s time

to go,” Thurston says. “Put on your shoes and run.”

Fears of the 1972 flood, which caused widespread damage

as the river overtopped and breached the levees, run deep in

Wilkes-Barre, particularly in neighborhoods near the river

or creeks made volatile by unyielding rainfall.

Up to 20,000 people pack cars, vans and sports utility ve-

hicles with belongings and flee, leaving portions of the city

devoid of human life save for the National Guard troops left

to patrol city streets. The city uses a motorboat to rescue

five people and three dogs that wait too long to flee.

In the Brookside section of the city, a bloated Mill Creek

sends five feet of water over streets and into basements after

it is overwhelmed by runoff from a nearby pump station.

Diane Waligun ties her family’s boat to the back of her

home in case they need it. The evacuation order compels

her to leave before such a dramatic escape is necessary.●

Despite the warnings, a curious minority ignores the

evacuation order, rushing to the river for an up-close look at

the rising waters.

Dozens of people converge on the levee in Wilkes-Barre

and in neighboring communities to the west, remaining

there until sheriff ’s deputies tell them to leave.

For hours, the Pierce Street Bridge remains the only link

between the center of Wilkes-Barre and Kingston. Sheriff ’s

deputies drove and walked up and down the span, continu-

ously chasing people who dared to walk across and gazeKRISTEN MULLEN / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 National Guard troops place mesh tarps and dirt on floodgates on the Market Street

Bridge in Wilkes-Barre in an effort to stop river water from pouring through slats at the top of the gates.

Our thoughts andOur thoughts andprayers go out to allprayers go out to allthe flood victimsthe flood victims




THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 People watch the swollen SusquehannaRiver as they walk across the Pierce Street Bridge in Wilkes-Barre.

(570) 693-0500 or 1-800-832-9328 • www.ufcwpa.org

377 Wyoming Ave, Wyoming • 570 Market St., Kingston1460 Sans Souci Parkway, Hanover Twp

401 Kennedy Blvd., Pittston (Inside Quinn’s Supermarket)

Why Get Pre-Approved?Why Get Pre-Approved? ✔ Comfortable payment within your budget✔ Control your financing to reduce stress

IT PAYS TO GET PRE-APPROVED!✔ Certainty about what your payment will be✔ Concentrate on shopping for your new vehicle, not on financing

HELP OUT FLOOD VICTIMSIN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

All our branches are a dropoff forcleanup supplies, personalhygiene items, water andmonetary donations. Plus, we aredoing a coat, hat and mitten drive.Every drop in the bucket helps!

STOP BY TODAY

Check Out www.ufcwpa.org for more information



down at the rising murky waters.

“Everybody off the levee, off the bridge,”

the deputies shout over a loudspeaker.

Eventually, the bridge is closed as the

river washes onto North Street, on the Wil-

kes-Barre side of the bridge, flooding the

county parking garage and the lower level

of the Bernard C. Brominski Building, a

courthouse annex.

Luzerne County Detective Chaz Balogh

patrols Wilkes-Barre near dusk, chasing

stragglers on the streets to higher ground.

He says he would give those remaining

behind until 8 p.m. to leave. Then, he says,

they would face arrest.

“I can’t believe people are that stupid,”

Balogh says.●

The mandatory evacuation attracts na-

tional and international attention.

Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton ap-

pears on CNN. Jim Cantore of The Weather

Channel and Sam Champion, of ABC

News, plant themselves at the River Com-

mon in Wilkes-Barre.

Mike Rubinkam, of The Associated

Press, turns the media room into a veri-

table bureau, editing video and audio and

filing detailed dispatches for distribution to

news outlets around the globe.

Joel Rose, of NPR News, records inter-

views for Friday’s “Morning Edition.”

The Los Angeles Times calls to interview

County Commissioner Maryanne Petrilla

and Agence France-Presse, the Paris-based

news agency, calls to interview Bekanich.

Brian Williams, of NBC News, leads the

network’s Nightly News broadcast with cov-

erage of the flood, noting the impact on the

Wilkes-Barre area before segueing to Anne

Thompson, who reports from the banks of

the Susquehanna River in Forty Fort.

TheRising


THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 Plainsville residents are ferried across the suddenlyaptly named River Street to check on homes inundated with murky river water.

Brian Williams, NBC Nightly News, 6:30 p.m.: Good evening. Well lastnight it was Los Angeles, tonight it’s Washington. Last night it wasthe Republicans, tonight it’s the President — the speech to a jointsession of Congress. We’ll get to all of it in just a moment, but firsttonight we have yet another natural disaster and a very urgent crisisfor tens of thousands of Americans this evening — a cruel outcome ofthe relentless rains and flooding we have suffered through in this halfof the country. This is happening now from Maryland north to NewEngland, and this is the work of Tropical Storm Lee, which just stormedthrough New Orleans a few days back. Tonight, the worst of it is inWilkes-Barre, Pa. on the Susquehanna River and Binghamton, New York.Combined evacuations, over 120,000 people. It’s where we begin tonightwith NBC’s Anne Thompson. She’s in the town of Forty Fort, Pa.

NBC NEWS

To an entire community of heroes:

WVHCS.orgCornelio Catena, CEO Patrice Persico, Chairman of the Board of Trustees

We are deeply grateful to the many heroes in this community, includingour healthcare family, for your selfless response during the recent crisis.



RALPH FRANCELLO / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 Army National Guard soldiers rescue

West Pittston residents from their flood-ravaged homes.

Stuffed the TruckFor Flood Relief!

The Honesdale National BankStorm Damage Loan Rates

2.59% APR** Rate and APR is fixed for 24 months for qualified borrowers with proof of water or storm damage.Monthly payment of $42.80 per $1,000 borrowed for 24 months. Other rates and terms also available.

APR is for loans with an automatic payment from an HNB checking or savings account.

MEMBER FDIC

570.283.6900 • www.hnbbank.com • [email protected]



MICHAEL J. MULLEN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 Flood walls and temporary floodgateson the Market Street Bridge hold the Susquehanna Riverback from downtown Wilkes-Barre.




FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (center) and LuzerneCounty Commissioner Stephen A. Urban survey debris piled upagainst the Eighth Street Bridge in Wyoming.




FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 U.S. Senators Bob Casey andPat Toomey talk with residents and local officialswhile touring flood damage in West Pittston.




FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 Water rushes under

the flood gates at the Market Street Bridge

in Wilkes-Barre after the Susquehanna

River crested at a record of 42.66 feet.

FREE DELIVERY WITH PURCHASE OF $1,000 OR MOREInterior Decorating Services Available • 6 Months Same As Cash (with approved credit)



TheRising

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceOn one of the desks at the Emergency Man-

agement Agency command center... #luzflood

http://t.co/1F7q2Wj

9 Sep, 3:24 a.m.

The hours become a blur. Thursday night blends into Fri-

day morning. Officials at the emergency command center

run on coffee, adrenaline and slices of cold pizza leftover in

the break room from earlier. Bekanich tries to steal a nap

in his office.

On television and social media, rumors run rampant.

Facts are stretched. Details are misconstrued. There is

speculation about a levee breach in Forty Fort.

“Everything’s a rumor,” Lucy Morgan, the county’s

deputy emergency management director, says. Among the

myths, she says: “The Cross Valley (Expressway) is closed.

The dam broke in New York and we’re all going to flood.

The dam broke in Forty Fort.”

The county dedicates a toll-free telephone line and a team

of volunteers to dispel rumors during the flood. Officials

also attempt to set the record straight.

In Forty Fort, Brozena says, engineers work to fortify a 200-

foot section of levee that developed “stability issues” as rising

floodwaters saturated the ground. Workers are piling 2,000

tons of rock to build a stabilizing berm to negate heavy pres-

sure created by the high river levels, Brozena says.

County Engineer Joe Gibbons, who patrols the levee in

a hard hat and reflective vest, says the levee in Forty Fort,

and another section in Wyoming, are being jeopardized by

“sand boils” — an influx of muddy water under the levee.

The same phenomenon contributed to the levee breach that

decimated Forty Fort in 1972.

“It becomes a problem when the water that percolates up

outside the limits of the well and it’s murky, it looks like

chocolate milk,” Gibbons says. “What you’ll see is some-

thing that looks like a homemade science experiment with

a volcano, but it’ll be completely made of sand.”●

For hours Thursday night, the river’s rapid rise appears

to stagnate, leading to speculation that the river had crested.

According to the National Weather Service’s real-time

river-level chart, based on readings from a river gauge in

Wilkes-Barre, the river rises from 38.71 feet at 5:45 p.m.,

Thursday, to 38.72 feet at 6 and then falls to 38.7 feet at 6:15.

The river then rises to 38.79 feet at 6:30, according to the

gauge, then falls again to 38.63 feet at 7:15.

The gauge, later said to be malfunctioning, stops trans-

mitting any information at 11:15 p.m., Thursday. Four

hours later, without any data or tangible evidence, the

National Weather Service declares that the Susquehanna

had crested in Wilkes-Barre at 38.83 feet — almost two feet

below projections and well below the top of the county’s

levee system.

The figure, supposedly recorded at 9:45 p.m., Thursday,

holds for hours bringing an air of relief and a sense of se-

curity to the communities behind the levees.

On the riverfront, though, things are “not adding up,”

Brozena says.

The river continues to rise long after the alleged crest

and water shoots through slats at the top of temporary

floodgates on the Market Street Bridge — an indication

that the river is closer to the levee system’s limit of 44 feet

than 38.83 feet.

“We saw some things on the levee that were suspect at

those levels,” Brozena says.

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceWE’VE CRESTED! The highest river level

was 38.83 feet. Evacuation still in effect. Don’t

return because of high water behind levee.

#LuzFlood

9 Sep, 3:36 a.m.

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceNOT SO FAST MY FRIENDS: River gauge

used to determine levels projections is broken.

#luzflood

9 Sep, 4:29 a.m.

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceNATIONALWEATHER SERVICE: The river

has crested. The river will continue to slowly

fall to below flood stage by Sunday evening.

#luzflood

9 Sep, 4:37 a.m.

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceLatest story: FORECASTERS CONFIDENT

IN RIVER CREST DESPITE GAUGE MAL-

FUNCTION http://t.co/OyjE1ae and now time

for a quick break. #luzflood

9 Sep, 7:04 p.m.

In West Pittston, residents report flooding levels higher

than those during the previous high, in the wake of Tropi-

cal Storm Agnes in 1972. They are skeptical of the National

Weather Service’s crest report.

“I don’t care what they say the level was,” Carolyn White

says, “It was higher here in West Pittston than it was then.”

Brozena’s and White’s suspicions are confirmed Friday

morning. The U.S. Geological Survey, which maintains the

river gauge, tells county officials the river actually crested

at a record 42.66 feet at 3 a.m. Friday.

Brozena breaks the news at a 1 p.m. press briefing: “We

are containing a much larger flood than we had previously

anticipated. We basically told people it was a 39-foot flood.

Well, guess what: It wasn’t.”

The levee system is “incredibly stressed” but performs

“extraordinarily well,” holding back the river and saving

the heart of the Wyoming Valley from destruction, Col.

Dave Anderson, of the Army Corps of Engineers, says.

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceOFFICIAL: RIVER CRESTEDAT 42.4 FEET IN

WILKES-BARRE. GAUGEWASWRONG.

9 Sep, 12:36 p.m.

e a s t e r n i n s u r a n c e g r o u p . c o m

In times of natural disastersCount on us. 819.2000



WARREN RUDA / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

Flood waters from the Lackawanna River cover StephensonStreet in Duryea. The Lackawanna backed up into Duryea whenit could no longer empty into the surging Susquehanna River.

Grotto Pizza at Harveys Lake: 639-FAST (3278)Grotto Pizza at the Gateway Cntr., Edwardsville: 331-FAST (3278)

Grotto Pizza outside the Wyoming Valley Mall: 822-6600

Proud To Serve NortheastProud To Serve NortheastPennsylvania Since 1953Pennsylvania Since 1953



TheRising

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceOFFICIALS: EVACUATION ORDER IS STILL

IN PLACE. DO NOT GO TO THE RIVER OR

AFFECTEDAREAS. #luzflood

9 Sep, 12:39 p.m.

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceBREAKING NEWS: COUNTY CONFIRMS

USGS HAD CRESTAT 42.66 FEET

9 Sep, 1:02 p.m.

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceBREAKING NEWS: SUSQUEHANNARIVER

CRESTED THURSDAY NIGHTAT 42.66

FEET NOT 38.83 FEETAS PREVIOUSLY

THOUGHT USGS CONFIRMS TO COUNTY.

9 Sep, 1:02 p.m.

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceBREAKING NEWS: LEVEE SYSTEM DE-

SIGNED TO HOLD UP TO 41 FEET PLUS 3

FEET OF WALL FORADDITIONAL SAFETY.

9 Sep, 1:03 p.m.

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceFLOOD CHIEF: LEVEE SYSTEM IS UNDER

‘EXTREME STRESS’ RIGHT NOW.

9 Sep, 1:06 p.m.

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceCOMMISSIONER URBANWARNSALL

EVACUEES TO REMAIN IN SAFE PLACE.

DO NOTRETURN TO RIVERAREA. #luzflood

9 Sep, 1:08 p.m.

●

The swollen river slowly recedes Friday, revealing its

muddy wrath in communities without a levee to protect

them from the roaring flood waters.

Coffee-colored river water stains streets and structures

from Jenkins Township to Shickshinny, in some areas

smelling like gasoline.

Gov. Tom Corbett and U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and Pat

Toomey tour flood-ravaged communities and pledge ample

state and federal assistance.

President Barack Obama, who later dispatches Vice

President Joe Biden to inspect damage in Duryea, declares

a federal emergency.

In Wyoming County, more than 3,000 homes are dam-

aged. In Tunkhannock, bucket loaders are used to evacuate

residents from an apartment complex surrounded by water

from swollen Swale Brook. In Laceyville, at least one man

is rescued from the roof of his home by helicopter. In Falls,

a home explodes when a gas tank swept in the river’s cur-

rent strikes it “like a torpedo.”

In West Pittston, more than 800 homes are damaged, the

most of any municipality in Luzerne County. Dozens are

unreachable except by boat.

“This is worse than 1972,” Tony Denisco, the mayor of

West Pittston, says. “I don’t think anyone thought it was go-

ing to be like this.”

Carolyn White, confined to a motorized chair and accom-

panied by her 215-pound Great Dane named Jet, tells Casey

she had at least 2 feet of water in her home on Lacoe Street,

about two blocks from the river.

“It pretty much destroyed everything in the backyard,

the basement, the brand new furnace and everything that

was put in — that’s all destroyed,” White’s son, Bob, says.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Carolyn laments.

Jeff Holtz, the owner of the landmark hardware store, Old

Mill Pine on Exeter Avenue, lost half his inventory despite

a hearty, communal effort to move items to higher ground.

More than 20 friends and customers helped him move his

higher-priced products and dump other products into mas-

sive plastic tubs. Surging waters knocked the tubs over.

The friends and customers return Friday to help Holtz

clean up.

“They just came,” he says, tears running down his face.

“I get choked up now thinking about it.”

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceSenators Casey Toomey visit flood zone in

West Pittston where mayor says river levels

were higher than in 1972Agnes flood. #luzflood

Sep 9, 12:15 p.m.

Casey and Toomey meet with residents at the corner of

Montgomery and Wyoming avenues, the veritable dividing

line in the community between dry pavement and sub-

merged earth. They visit a nearby National Guard armory

— where floodwaters swallowed a tank and most of the

first floor — and the Eighth Street Bridge, spanning the

Susquehanna River from Wyoming Borough to Jenkins

Township.

Massive mounds of debris collect against the north side

of the partially submerged bridge, redirecting raging river

waters toward the already swollen shores.

In Wilkes-Barre, where the evacuation order remains in

effect, cabin fever.

Tom Benson, the American Red Cross shelter manager at

GAR High School, hears the same question over and over:

When can we go home?“We don’t know yet, we’re waiting here too,” Benson

says. “But Mr. Sunshine is coming out and that’s the best

thing. The faster the sun comes out, the faster everything

dries up.”●

Butera, the attorney from West Pittston, returns to a rav-

aged home. The raging river sent seven feet of water into

the ranch-style structure, damaging nearly everything: the

possessions he moved from the basement, clothes, furni-

ture, even the grandfather clock.

“It was devastating,” Butera says, as a backhoe beeps

near a friend’s damaged home on Delaware Avenue. “Not

only was the water higher than it was in ’72 but it was

much more turbulent. The damage is horrendous. In ’72

it seemed like the water came up real slow and was calm.

This water raged. It was raging water. Every window in

my house is smashed. The water smashed every window.

It picked up everything inside the house, moved it, threw

it around. None of that happened in ’72 — ’72 it was like a

gentle flood compared to this.”●

Eddie Whitesell sits on a folding chair on Spruce Street,

Shickshinny, watching the muddy, swollen Susquehanna

River just yards away swirl around his house up to the

second floor. “It moved so fast,” he says. “I only had a little

pickup truck. I had to take out what I could.”

Whitesell, like so most residents in the one-traffic-light

community, didn’t expect the Susquehanna River to rise so

quickly, or rise higher than in 1972. The flood blocked most

roads into town, including U.S. Route 11, and damaged at

least 75 percent of the borough and about 150 homes. About

20 people and five dogs were rescued by boat, according to

Kevin Morris, the fire chief.

The floodwater forced its way up West Union Street, fill-

ing the firehouse and municipal building with more than

four feet of water. Both were built after Agnes and con-

structed to meet 100-year-flood standards, Morris says.

Since the fire hall, the usual flood refuge, was flooded,

Kathie and Sherm Fink offer the use of their Union Street

®

®

LAYAWAYS WELCOME

10%OFF

ANYTHINGIN

STORE

FREE FINANCING& FREE EXPRESS

DELIVERYANYWHERE IN

THE FLOODZONE.



BUTCH COMEGYS / TIMES-SHAMROCK

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 A van caked with mud is partially submergedin flood waters in Tunkhannock in Wyoming County.



TheRising

house as a community center. The porch and front yard

hums with activity: a pot of chili being heated on a grill for

lunch, Moore ordering portable toilets for the town, chil-

dren helping themselves to drinks from an ice-filled kiddie

pool and snacks from a well-stocked table.

Moore, whose Canal Street home was flooded through

the first floor and her garage washed away, fights back

tears as she describes how she lost all the decorations for

her favorite holiday: Halloween.

She can’t get to her house to see what’s left because the

river’s current is still too strong. Moore says she is not wor-

ried about the repeat flooding — disasters happen every-

where, and she chose to live there, she says. She fears bad

publicity for the borough.

“I love this town. I do,” Moore says. “I didn’t expect this.”

Brian Williams, NBC Nightly News, 6:30 p.m.:

Now to the latest natural disaster we have been

covering. In the Northeast, entire towns are

still submerged after the double jeopardy of

flooding from Hurricane Irene and now Tropical

Storm Lee. The Susquehanna River is moving mas-

sive amounts of water tonight. New York, Virginia

and Maryland are experiencing major flooding and

the river reached record levels in Pennsylvania

where NBC’s Anne Thompson has been covering it

all. Anne, good evening.

Anne Thompson: Good evening, Brian. The path

of destruction here in the Wilkes-Barre area was

determined by the levees and even though some

are under extreme stress tonight, they are hold-

ing. But here in West Pittston, where there is no

protection, many homes and many lives have been

devastated.

AFTERMATH

The water recedes completely by Saturday afternoon,

leaving a mess of overturned water heaters, ruined carpets

and waterlogged furniture. Grime taints a whitewashed

fence and toys and other debris clogged the grate of a catch

basin.

Vincent R. Nardone, who owns a double-block home on

Brookside Street, watches as front-loaders haul residents’

ruined belongings into waiting garbage trucks.

“I had a life,” Nardone says. “Where did it go?”

Across the city, a crew of officials inspects the levee, sur-

veying damage, from the storm water that rushed around

pumping station in South Wilkes-Barre to a leak that

sprung near a small gate near the Black Diamond Bridge.

They eventually arrive at the River Common where

water poured from underneath the Market Street floodgate

and forced the placement of 1,000-pound sandbags behind

the wall separating the swollen Susquehanna River from

the city’s downtown.

Michael Simonson, the city’s assistant director of opera-

tions, watches as the water continues to flow by the Hotel

Sterling, a dilapidated city landmark later condemned and

marked for demolition.

“I don’t like going in there anyway,” Simonson says of

the seven-story building, “let alone with 15 feet of water in

the basement.”

The levee, facing its greatest test, held, leaving Luzerne

County’s largest city free of the flooding that covered Wil-

kes-Barre from River Street to Wilkes-Barre Boulevard in

1972. In South Wilkes-Barre, even the flood-prone Solomon

Creek stayed within its channel walls.

The city “dodged a major bullet,” state Rep. Eddie Day

Pashinski says.

“I hope that people take a moment tonight and say a

prayer and thank the Lord that that dike held,” Pashinski

says. “Those of you that experienced 1972 know what

kind of devastation we experienced in Wilkes-Barre and

throughout the entire valley.”

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceOFFICIALS: People can return to **ProtectedAreas** at 2:30 p.m. Others should wait for of-ficial OK. #LuzFlood10 Sep, 1:18 p.m.

@CitizensVoice The Citizens’ VoiceLevee system prevented estimated $3BILLION in damages. -- Flood ProtectionAuthority Director Jim Brozena #LuzFlood10 Sep, 1:19 p.m.

In the areas without levee protection, the cleanup continues.

“That’s the tragedy of the flood,” Urban says. “Fourteen,

fifteen thousand families were able to go back to their houses

and they’re dry. On the other hand, there are about 2,000

families that have been affected in the county with flooding.”

Flooding is, Urban says, a way of life along the Susquehanna.

“You’ve got to learn to respect the river,” Urban says.

“You get to enjoy it when it’s low. You don’t fear it, you just

have to learn to live with it. You live with the possible conse-

quences, but life goes on. I think you see that every day in the

areas that were flooded, where people have pulled together,

are fixing up their homes and trying to get back in as quickly

as possible. People are resilient. That’s part of life.”

[email protected], 570-821-2061, @cvmikesisak

Denise Allabaugh, Robert L. Baker, Michael P. Buffer,

Tom Brolley, Sarah Hofius Hall, Bob Kalinowski, Borys

Krawczeniuk, Steve McConnell, Josh Mrozinski, Kristen

Mullen, Erin L. Nissley, Denis O’Malley, Dave Singleton,

Elizabeth Skrapits, Jill Snowdon, Andrew Staub, Katie

Sullivan and Patrick Sweet contributed to this report.

CV

NBC NEWS


Jim Brozena, Luzerne County’s flood protection chief.




Flood waters from the Lackawanna River cover Stephenson

Street in Duryea. The Lackawanna backed up into Duryea when

it could no longer empty into the surging Susquehanna River.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2011 Houses are still surrounded

by water on Tennant Street in the Port Blanchard

section of Jenkins Township..

TobyFCU is committed to its members and the communities it serves. Asalways, our staff is available to assist with your current and future lendingand financial needs.If you or a family member was affected by the Flood of 2011, feel free to contactwww.tobyhawww.tobyhannafcu.orgnnafcu.org us to see how we can help.1-866-TOBYFCU1-866-TOBYFCU




MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2011 Frank Bennett carries damagedproperty to the curbside of he and his wife Stephanie’shome in the Port Blanchard section of Jenkins Township asa ‘good luck’ balloon is seen covered in mud in the trashpile in the foreground. The balloon was given to StephanieBennett by co-workers after she took a new job.




MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2011 Firefighters hose down the parkinglot at Banko’s Seafood Restaurant in West Nanticoke.

Quality Diamond JewelryAt Reasonable Prices...

Engagement Rings • Wedding Rings • Anniversary Rings • Diamond Pendants • Diamond EarringsGemstone Jewelry • White Gold Jewelry

STEVE HYDOCK JEWELERS 150 South Wyoming Ave.(Across From Jack Williams) 283-0651




MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2011 Ray Condo looks over his kitchen where hisrefrigerator has been tossed on its side after flood waters sweptthrough his his home at Robert and Courtright streets in Plainsville.

FIREPLACEGALLERY 2540 SR 29 S, Tunkhannock 298-2150 www.fireplacegallerynepa.com

CHIMNEY SERVICECleaning • Building • Repairing • Relining

Guaranteed Professional ServiceTotal Fireplace ConstructionWood • Gas • Stone • Marble • Brick

OVER 24 YEARSEXPERIENCE

IN NORTHEAST PA



BUTCH COMEGYS / TIMES-SHAMROCK

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011 Vice President JoeBiden gives a hug and a smile to Duryearesident Valerie Olszewski in front of herhome on Chittenden Street in Duryea.



The Bedroom Warehousewants to help with SpecialPricing for Flood Victims,

below our already LowDiscounted Prices. Seeshowroom for details.

“Everything For Your Bedroom Needs”The BEDROOM WAREHOUSE The

BedroomWarehouse

TheBedroomWarehouse

SAVINGS YOU CANSLEEP WITH!!! 160 MUNDY STREET • WILKES-BARRE • 823-0929

*See Showroom For Details www.thebedroomwarehouse.com

Regular Cheap$28990Twin Set $36990 $28990

$35990Full Set $44990 $35990

$39990Queen Set $49990 $39990

$56990King Set $69990 $56990

BARONBARON Pillow Top Soft With FoamEncase

11¢Per Night


$29990Full Set $33990 $29990

$33990Queen Set $37990 $33990

$44990King Set $59990 $44990

Euro TopSupport FeelGALILEOGALILEO

19¢Per Night


$24990Full Set $29990 $24990

$28990Queen Set $33990 $28990

$41990King Set $49990 $41990

Extra FirmFeel

16¢Per Night

VENICEVENICE

PLATFORM AND STORAGE BEDS SAVINGSPHONIX CAPTAINSPHONIX CAPTAINS

$1077$1529$1077

Full Storage InBookcase and Captains Base

JESSICAJESSICA$757$1069$757

Hide-A-Way Drawers At TheFoot Add Function To Style

SAFFRONSAFFRON$397$619$397

True Hardwood Platform WithOptional Storage Drawers

DISCOVERYDISCOVERY$487$618$487

Perfect Back To SchoolAll Wood Storage Bed

Suggested Anniversary

Twin Set $83980 1/2 OFF $41990

Full Set $97980 1/2 OFF $48990

Queen Set $99980 1/2 OFF $49990

King Set $153980 1/2 OFF $76990

1/2 PRICESPECIAL

Sets Only

$$775577$757

In Cherry or ContemporaryBlack. Dovetail Drawer

ConstructionReg. $1594

4 Pc. Group, Queen Bed,Dresser, Mirror And Night Stand

“WAREHOUSE COLLECTION” FROM BEDROOM WAREHOUSE“WAREHOUSE COLLECTION” FROM BEDROOM WAREHOUSE CCllaassssiicc HHeerriittaaggeeClassic HeritageSSlleeiigghh CCoolllleeccttiioonnSleigh Collection

Locally Owned and Operated Keeps Money in the Area To Help Others

Bedroom Bob Says . . .

FORFLOODRELIEF

SUPERSALE

PRICING


the rising: the flood, in words and images

Documents

local flood victims

historic flood

flood thedire projections

toflood victims

wilkes barre

community credit unionwww

citizens voice3

special section hasbeen