Look Back: Remembering the flood of 2011

Sep. 10—We reporters call it "camping out," waiting for police to arrive with a defendant in custody for a preliminary arraignment.

I spent many camp outs in my 25 year career as a crime and court reporter.

At one arraignment, rather what was said before one, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011, is one I will never forget.

"All this rain reminds me of Agnes," former Kingston Police Chief Keith Keiper told me as we chatted outside the Kingston Municipal Building that afternoon.

To me, it wasn't raining heavy despite Tropical Storm Lee moving up the coastline mid-week in early September 2011.

On that day, Sept. 7, 2011, I had a front page story in the Times Leader reporting the potential of up to six inches of rain as the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre projected to go as high as 28 feet, based on the river forecast by the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center and the National Weather Service.

Boy, were they wrong.

After that arraignment, I checked the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center and the updated river forecast caused a chill.

The Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre was forecasted to reach 38 to 39 feet Friday morning, just below the levees that were raised and strengthened in the early 2000s.

But those levees were never tested.

"The threat of the Susquehanna River reaching a height of 38.5 feet Friday morning led Luzerne County officials to call for approximately 50,000 people to leave their homes in areas unprotected by the levees," the Times Leader reported Sept. 8, 2011.

The next five days were going to be busy. It seemed the weather and river forecast changed quite frequently for the worst.

By Thursday night, Sept. 8, 2011, the river forecast predicted the river to rapidly rise cresting at 41 feet, which is the top of the concrete flood wall along North and South River streets in Wilkes-Barre. The earthen levees in Forty Fort, South Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township were said to be the same height.

New evacuation orders were given.

"A mandatory evacuation of low-lying areas in the Wyoming Valley, including those protected by the levee system, was ordered by Luzerne County officials early Thursday morning. It affects about 115,000 people in the county," the Times Leader reported Friday, Sept. 9. 2011.

During this flood emergency, I worked 38 straight hours and was stationed at the Luzerne County Emergency Management Building where officials had gathered. During the middle of the night, I walked past courthouse as the flood walls were erected at the North Street Bridge and the courthouse parking lot.

I remember walking along the levee and was able to touch the river over the concrete flood wall.

North River Street was flooded.

As I got to the Market Street Bridge, water gushed under the flood wall that made a loud thumping noise.

Two Wilkes-Barre police officers were stationed at the bridge with their cruisers idling and the driver's doors open ready for them to flee in case of a flood wall breach.

As I walked back to the EMA building, the river had flooded Water Street with water pouring into the courthouse parking garage.

After returning to the very tiny media room inside the EMA building, I called the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center for an updated river forecast and was told the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre had already crested.

Boy, were they wrong.

The river gauge had been overtaken by the river and became inoperable, giving off false readings.

While at the EMA building, there were concerns about the earthen levee along the recreational fields in Forty Fort were about to fail, boils in the earthen levee in Hanover Township, and the expansion joints on the North Street/Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Orders were given to the Pennsylvania National Guard to assist the flooded communities of West Pittston, Jenkins Township, West Nanticoke in Plymouth Township and Shickshinny that became inundated by the river.

On this very day, Sept. 11, 12 years ago, residents were permitted to return home and we reporters set out to report the damage after the river hit a crest of 42.66 feet.

Hopefully, Hurricane Lee currently in the Atlantic Ocean will not repeat Tropical Storm Lee of 2011.