Pennsylvania hit by huge flooding, towns submerged

By artappraiser on Fri, 09/09/2011 - 6:46pm |

By Paul Eckert in Wilkes Barre, Reuters, September 9, 2011

The Susquehanna River, swollen by rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, reached record levels in Pennsylvania on Friday and submerged some towns amid worry that flood waters had been turned toxic by swamped sewage processing plants....

A levee system protected Wilkes-Barre but remained under heavy pressure and had sprung a few small leaks, Luzerne County engineer Jim Brozina said at a news conference.

"It is under extreme stress right now. I mean, we are well beyond our design for this system," Brozina said. "Every hour is a benefit to us as that river starts to recede."......

URL:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/09/us-usa-flooding-idUSTRE7874I620110909