Township, Region Ready For Hurricane Irene

Editor's Note: Patch will cover the storm impact throughout the weekend. Patch welcomes your photos and observations. Send to maryellen.alu@patch.com

South Whitehall's emergency management team will meet this morning as state, county and local officials brace for the wrath of Hurricane Irene.

High winds and heavy rains are expected this weekend, with a flood watch in effect from Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening.

"We'll be ready for it," said the township's street foreman, George Yanochko on Thursday. 

Some township roads are prone to flooding, specifically along Jordan Creek, including River Road, Lapp Road and Wehr Mill Road, he said. He said trucks will be equipped with barricades in case the township needs to close roads to motorists.

He said the street crews are good at "spur of the moment," as witnessed in last Sunday's storm that downed trees and blocked roads in the township and in past winter snow storms.

In preparation for possible power outages this weekend, Lehigh County Emergency Services has been checking to make sure emergency generators are full of fuel and ready at key sites such as radio towers, transmitters and hospitals, said Emergency Services Director Tom Nervine.

“Certainly there’s concerns anytime you have something of this magnitude,” he said. “No one seems to know what track this thing is going to take.”

Each municipality’s emergency management coordinator usually knows the locality’s trouble spots for flooding and the county coordinates communication between them and the state and other agencies on help that’s needed, Nervine said.

The county is also looking at evacuation capabilities in coordination with the American Red Cross of the Greater Lehigh Valley, should flooding be severe.

Nervine suggests that residents assemble what he called a “,” in which they gather essentials needed for a prolonged power outage, such as flashlights with batteries, a battery-powered radio, food, jugs of water, medication and cash.

“Think about what would happen if the power in your home was going to be out for a week and make up a kit accordingly,” he said.

The county 911 Center fielded 350 calls over 45 minutes after the earthquake Tuesday and Nervine said people shouldn’t call unless it’s a real emergency and should stay off the line so the phone system doesn’t get overloaded.

Several state roads run through South Whitehall, including Cedar Crest and Hamilton boulevards. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said the heavy rains could cause water to back up on the roadways and cautioned motorists to not attempt to drive through high water; the water may be deeper than it looks.

PennDOT crews on Friday cleared drainage inlets, removed debris from roadways and made sure their equipment, such as backhoes, were in good working order.

Motorists will be able to check road conditions on more than 2,900 miles of state roads by calling 511 or visiting www.511PA.com. 

Margie Peterson contributed to this report.