Lower Macungie Twp Hard Hit by Irene

Hurricane Irene closed roads that had never had a problem with flooding before, according to Ben Galiardo, Lower Macungie Township's emergency management coordinator.

Indeed, several roads became raging rivers.

Macungie Road, in and around its one-lane bridge, was one incredible example. Only the very tops of the bridge's handrail were visible across the vast flooded area surrounding the creek.

The Spring Creek/Millcreek roads intersection was another. The road was swallowed completely by overflowing water from the Little Lehigh Creek. The "Road Closed" sign was almost totally submerged.

Along Brookside Road near Fresh Meadow Drive the flooding creek took down several trees and flooded a nearby play yard.

And the community's beloved Willows Restaurant, flooded so many times, flooded almost to the inside of the restaurant, Galiardo said.

And a tree that fell onto Lower Macungie Road near Macungie Road is said to be the culprit for thousands of PPL customers who are still without power.

The boroughs of Macungie and Alburtis were fortunate to receive very little damage, Emergency Coordinators David Boyko and Paul Seigfried, respectively, said.

Although winds blew and rain pounded the area overnight and into Sunday morning, the precipitation stopped before noon and the sun eventually emerged. The end of the storm brought streams of curious onlookers to witness the damage.

Some ventured out on foot to walk nearby streets, such as neighbors near Macungie Road who looked toward that submerged one-lane bridge only to view what appeared to be a lake. A mailbox and newspaper box peeked up out of the water to remind them of the roadway beneath.

Others on foot snapped pictures and shook their heads as they looked at another submerged roadway and learned the true irony of the thoroughfare known as Springcreek Road.

But it was the bridges along Brookside Road that drew the most onlookers. Those who were eager to get outside to explore nature's wrath slowed their vehicles and looked and pointed in awe at the vastness of waterways. The lines of creek beds had long since been erased as banks overflowed, taking on the appearance of vast swamplands.