Though Hurricane Irene took at least two dozen lives and inflicted billions of dollars of damage across East Coast, the City of Easton appears to have fared well during the storm and subsequent flooding. Despite a number of downed trees and electrical wires, as well as flash flooding in a number of locations, there were no reported injuries. Though storm and flood cleanup continues in the areas that were hardest hit, city officials said planning, preparation and experience with several much more serious floods in recent years, in addition to luck, played a major part in minimizing the effect …
Congratulations, Hurricane Irene. You've given Easton it's ninth worst flood ever. Granted, that doesn't mean very much here. The Delware River crested at 25.1 feet last night, according to the National Weather Service. That's well below the original predictions, which had the river cresting at above 30 feet. The Delaware's highest crests are: 43.70 ft on Aug. 19, 1955 38.10 ft on Oct. 10, 1903 37.20 ft on April 4, 2005 37.09 ft on June 29, 2006 33.45 ft on Sept. 19, 2004 Mayor Sal Panto said Monday that damage was minimal around the city. Lafayette College had lost power during the storm, …
A break from the flood/storm/downed-trees/closed roads news today. Freelancer Christina Georgiou got this shot while walking around Downtown earlier today. Believe it or not, the sun will actually shine again tomorrow.
Eastn residents awoke today to downed trees and rising waters as Hurricane Irene blew the region Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Several streets were closed by flooding and fallen trees, according to the city website. And as the city dealt with the clean-up -- and a few overnight water rescues along Lehigh Drive -- it was preparing for another flood. The Lehigh River was expected to crest Sunday afternoon, Mayor Sal Panto said. The current forecast for the Delaware shows the river cresting at 31 feet Monday morning. The city had begun to evacuate homes along the river for what will …
The National Weather Service has revised its forecast for flooding along the Delaware River in Easton. The new forecast shows the river cresting at 32 feet -- major flood stage -- at 2 p.m. on Monday afternoon. Initial forecasts had the crest happening earlier, and at a lower level. The highest crest on record is 43 feet, set in 1955. The last time the river reached major flood stage in Easton was 2006, when the Delaware crested at 37 feet.
Whatever Irene brings, the City of Easton is as ready as it can be. Mayor Sal Panto, speaking after a meeting this afternoon with emergency management officials said the city will not declare a state of emergency for the storm because Governor Tom Corbett has already declared it for Pennsylvania. “He preempted me,” Panto said. “The main things right now are water and wind, the two Ws.” The city has already sent reverse 911 calls to all residents in low-lying areas of the city warning them of the very real flooding risk, he said. “They should be out of their homes by tonight,” Panto noted, …
The Delaware River will rise nearly 22 feet by Monday, according hydrologic data from the National Weather Service. The NWS's current graph shows the river at 4.8 feet now, but says it will rise to 26.7 feet -- what's known as "moderate flood stage" -- by Monday morning. That would be slightly higher than the flooding the city experienced in March, but still not as bad as the floods of 2004, 2005 and 2006, which are among the five highest crests in Easton's history. We'll be monitoring the river levels and predictions over the next few days. Tell us if you're doing anything to prepare: write …
Humans aren't the only ones preparing for whatever Hurricane Irene brings to the Easton area. The two mules that power the historic Lehigh Canal boat ride at Hugh Moore Park are being moved the farm where the usually spend the winter in aniticipation of flooding rain. It was business as usual for the team Friday as familes enjoyed the 40-minute canal tour under a bright blue sky with puffy clouds. But staying between the canal and the rising Lehigh River is not an option since the National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning for Northampton County.
With Hurricane Irene almost certain to batter the Easton area this weekend, the need for up-to-the minute info is even more important. At Patch, we will be working around-the-clock to cover the storm, but as with of our reporting, the more interaction we get from users the more comprehensive our coverage will be. Easton Patch is as much your site as it is ours.So in light of Irene, here’s how you can use Patch to help paint the local picture of the event.1. Get the news. When we know about storm-related news, so will you. From important city announcements, damages, power outages and floods, …
Editor's note: We'll have storm coverage throughout the weekend. If you'd like, you can send storm photos, and your observations, to tom.coombe@patch.com, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Easton city officials were scheduled to meet this morning to plan for this weekend's arrival of Hurricane Irene. "Obviously we're expecting a heavy rain event," said Glenn Steckman, the city administrator. It's just a question of how heavy. Steckman said the city won't know until closer to the storm's arrival what action it will take, but said officials will look at what needs to move from the public …
Hurricane Irene is expected to bring heavy rain and winds gusting up to 60 mph to Easton Saturday night into Sunday. More rain dousing our already saturated ground could lead to downed trees and power outages. The Red Cross and utility companies advise residents to have a storm kit handy.Your kit should include: Bottled water (one gallon per person per day). Non-perishable food and can opener. Blankets, bedding and toiletries. Baby formula, diapers, bottles and wet wipes, if needed. First-aid kit and enough prescription medicines. Flashlight with fresh batteries. Battery-operated radio. Hand …
Easton's School of Rock can't seem to catch a break, at least as far as its Smoke on the Water show is concerned. The school had planned to hold the benefit concert for the Ronald McDonald House -- with several other local schools playing -- last Sunday, but then postponed it due to rainy weather. Now, it looks like it won't be happening at all. "Unfortunately, due to the anticipated impact of Hurricane Irene in the Lehigh Valley over the weekend and concerns about travel into the area from the participating School of Rocks that are largely located south and/or west of us, we have decided to …
