Hurricane Sandy

Flooding: Irene vs. Sandy

Macungie Road is a great illustration of how much rain we received during Hurricanes Irene vs. Hurricane Sandy. Clearly the wind was our worst enemy this time.

The wind was certainly the villian of Hurricane Sandy, since the rains involved certainly did not amount what we received a year ago during Hurricane Irene. Take a look at all three photos to see Macungie Road dry, then what it looked like after Hurricane Sandy last week and a year ago August after Hurricane Irene clobbered the area.

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Major Storm Could Slam Northeast Early Next Week

Will Tropical Storm Sandy hit the Mid-Atlantic or Northeast with heavy rain/snow, high winds and flooding?

Some computer models show that Tropical Storm Sandy could hit the Northeast - including eastern Pennsylvania - with fury early next week, which is the anniversary of last year's bizarre "Snowtober" storm. Sandy could bring rain, snow, high winds and possible storm-surge flooding to the Boston-to-Washington corridor in a "slingshot" scenario, in which the tropical storm (or hurricane) initially moves out to sea, but is captured by the jet stream and flung back to the Mid-Atlantic or Northeast, according to Climate Central's Andrew Freedman. A USA Today report says the storm could hit the Northeast the day before Halloween and it could be devastating. Sandy's first U.S. impacts will be along the East Coast of Florida this afternoon and …

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Jenae Holtzhafer

7:17 pm on Thursday, October 25, 2012

This is a great resource. It's never too late to be prepared! Remember last October? Yikes! http://www.scribd.com/doc/111166580/Hurricane-Safety-and-Preparedness-Guide   more ›

Ignore a Flood Roadblock, Get Fined?

Do you think drivers who ignore flood roadblocks and need to be rescued should be fined?

Major storms inevitably bring stories of drivers who ignore flood roadblocks and end up needing rescue by emergency crews. Now, Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a bill that would levy fines on drivers who disregard the familiar warning to "turn around, don't drown." The bill would impose: What do you think? Vote in our poll and tell us in the comments section below.

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Lower Macungie Putting Water in its Place

Excavation project resulting from lawsuit is designed to correct drainage problem along East Texas Road.

The construction along East Texas Road will be over soon, and to the relief of many, had nothing to do with building another new development of homes. Rather, the pipe-laying project that has occurred over the past few weeks -- and will be over very soon -- is the result of a lawsuit involving Corrado Homes, the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Lower Macungie Township on one side, and William Diebert who owns the property on the north side of East Texas Road and west of Hidden Valley Road. According to the suit, the stormwater runoff from the Corrado Homes and Hidden Valley Meadows developments caused flooding and sinkholes, said Township Engineer Bill Erdman. The remediation should solve the problem for Diebert's more than 40 acres of property …

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Missy Moyer-Schneck

9:01 am on Thursday, December 22, 2011

Being in the "building" business, I totally get what you mean. I see it, I see the "favors" and the folks left with the bag of crap at the end. Lower Mac seems to be the biggest culprit of this form of dealing lately, or it's just more prevalent to me because I now live here. Township officials will only care once someone gets hurt or the west nile virus ends up in my God made pond from all the …   more ›

Record-High September Rain in Lehigh Valley

More showers and thunderstorms expected this afternoon

A record-high amount of rain fell in the Lehigh Valley in September. The amount was 12.77 inches - besting the 1999 record of 11.57 inches - according to measurements at Lehigh Valley International Airport. More showers and thunderstorms are expected this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Soggy September was preceeded by the wettest August ever when 13.47 inches of rain fell. Lehigh and Northampton counties remain under a flood watch until 10 a.m. today. By Saturday, the daily high temperature will drop about 20 degrees from today - down to a predicted 58. Bethlehem's Monocacy Creek has flooded for the third time in two months and Easton and Forks Township have also been affected by flooding from last night's rain, …

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The Hero Next Door

Firefighting Provides Adrenaline Rush

Hurricane Irene provided lots of activity.

Name:  Marc Silverstein Age:  43 Lives:  Lower Macungie Township Family:  Wife, Carrie, and three children—two sons and a daughter. Job:  Project manager at Olympus America Fire company: Silverstein is a firefighter and engineer for the Lower Macungie Fire Department.  He is responsible for the general maintenance of truck #3091, a special response vehicle which carries an assortment of equipment needed for various types of rescues.  He has been a firefighter for 20 years—17 of them in Connecticut, and the past three in Lower Macungie. Training so far:  “I have pretty much what everyone has; but I also have Pro Board (National Professional Qualifications Board) certification.  This certification allows me to transfer my accreditation …

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Lehigh County Declared a Disaster Area

Lower Mac Emergency Management recommends residents file claims soon.

In the wake of Hurricane Irene, Lehigh County was declared a disaster area by the Federal Emergency Management Agency late last week. According to Ben Galiardo, Lower Macungie's deputy emergency management director, an area must suffer at least $1.1 million in damage to be eligible for aid, and Lehigh County had $1.2 million in damage. “People had from two inches of water in their basements to as much as nine feet, which meant it was on the main floor level, since basements are usually only eight feet,” he said. Anyone in Lower Macungie Township who has  flood damage should go to FEMA's disaster assistance application website and fill out the form.  It takes about 20 minutes, Galiardo said. Required application elements include: When FEMA …

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Notify Local Officials If You Have Flood Damage

Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency wants flood damage documented.

Pennsylvania residents who sustained damages to their homes or businesses as a result of flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee should report those damages to local municipal officials as soon as possible, according to a press release issued Saturday. "It's very important for residents to file preliminary damage reports as soon as possible with their local governments," said Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Glenn Cannon. "Teams of local, county, state and federal staffers will conduct preliminary damage assessments as soon as it's safe to do so, but it's not possible for them to inspect every damaged property so we need the public's help." Affected people should: "Homeowners, renters, and business owners should …

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No Pumpkins This Year?

Farmers struggle with the overabundance of rain.

Farmer Mark Lichtenwalner said he knows how to cope with heavy rain hitting the Lehigh Valley, courtesy of  Tropical Storms Irene and Lee. “We have an eight-month-old English Sheep Dog named Sadie, and I sit between that puppy and a beer,’’ he said. “Then I’m all set. “The only problem with the dog is she’s afraid of sheep. We have to work on that.” But Lichtenwalner, owner of a farm on Indian Creek Road in Lower Macungie, gets serious when he recalls past flooding problems. “I’ve seen this happen before,” he said. “It’s somewhat close to the level when Hurricane Agnes came though the Harrisburg area in 1972.’’ Agnes, as Lichtenwalner recalled, poured 18 inches of rain in two days, leaving 220,000 Pennsylvanians homeless. President Nixon …

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PennDOT Says Avoid Travel in Eastern Pa. Because of Flooding

Roads in eastern Pennsylvania flooded by days of heavy rain

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission are "strongly urging motorists to avoid all unnecessary travel in eastern Pennsylvania, including the area from Harrisburg north to the New York border, east to the New Jersey border and south to the Maryland border" in an alert issued at midday. The National Weather Service says there's still a chance of heavy rain in Lehigh and Northampton counties this afternoon. As of 12:15 p.m. Thursday, Interstate 80 was closed in both directions from Exits 232 to 236 and Interstate 81 was closed in both directions between Exits 90 and 100. Also, hundreds of secondary roads are closed.  The Delaware River continues to rise in Easton and is expected to crest around …

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