Flash Flood — Carbon, Pennsylvania

2004-09-18 to 2004-09-19 · near Countywide, Carbon, Pennsylvania

Wider weather episode

The remnants of Hurricane Ivan interacting with a slowly moving cold front caused widespread very heavy rain to fall from late in the evening on the 17th until around 10 a.m. EDT on the 18th. Storm totals average around 5 inches and caused poor drainage, creek and river flooding throughout Carbon County. A 44-year-old man drowned. Hardest hit were Palmerton Borough and Penn Forest, East Penn and Kidder Townships. Evacuations occurred in Palmerton and Kidder Townships. President George W. Bush declared the county a disaster area. Eighty-nine homes and four businesses were damaged. Seven public buildings and structures were damaged. Many roads were closed including Pennsylvania State Routes 895 and 903. Farms alongside streams and rivers lost many of their crops just before harvest time. Flooding streams and creeks included the Aquashicola, Lizard, Long Run, Mahoning, Mill, Mud Run, Pohopoco and the Lehigh River.The body of a 44-year-old man was found on the 23rd along the banks of the Mud Run Creek near old stage road in southern Kidder Township. The bridge over the Mud Run Creek between Kidder and Penn Forest Townships collapsed. Another bridge partially collapsed along Henning Road in Penn Forest Township. In Palmerton Borough, the flooding Aquashicola and Mill Creeks flooded ten homes into their first floor. The worst flooding was reported along Lehigh and Delaware Avenues. In Lehighton, fifty vehicles at a dealership were flooded. A wooden footbridge collapsed along the Lehigh Canal. This collapse caused a secondary water supply for the borough to break free from its support after erosion washed away the pier support. Other towpaths and pedestrian bridges along the canal were washed away.The Aquashicola Creek at Palmerton was above its 7 foot flood stage from 937 a.m. EDT on the 18th through 104 a.m. EDT on the 19th. It crested at 12.17 feet at 2 p.m. EDT on the 18th. The Lehigh River at Lehighton was above its 10 foot flood stage from 940 a.m. EDT through 522 p.m. EDT on the 18th. It crested at 12.04 feet at 100 p.m. EDT. The Pohopoco Creek at Parryville was above its 5.5 foot flood stage from 1110 a.m. EDT on the 19th through 1051 a.m. EDT on the 21st. It crested at 5.71 feet at 1230 a.m. EDT on the 19th. Storm totals included 6.03 inches at the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Airport in Luzerne County and 4.55 inches in Lehighton.The disaster area declaration opened the door for low interest loans through individual assistance programs. This covered residential and business losses not fully compensated by insurance. This included limited grants for help to residents and business owners to pay for temporary housing, home repairs and other disaster related expenses. The declaration also enabled state and local governments to receive partial federal reimbursement for rebuilding community infrastructures.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5427570. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.