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 -- . 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 be Easton's fourth flood in seven years. Dozens of people gathered along the river Sunday morning to watch the rising waters. Large tree branches floated by.
set up a temporary shelter at its Northampton Street office, but as of late afternoon Sunday, only one person -- who had lost power -- had made use of it, said Lt. Jose Santiago. He said his crew would stay until dusk to see if anyone else showed up.
More than 5,000 Northampton County residents are without power while others are dealing with flooded basements.
