Corbett Extends Partial State Shutdown To Friday
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS/AP) -- Gov Tom Corbett is giving nearly 25,000 state employees a second paid day off.
Amid widespread flooding in central and northeastern Pennsylvania, the governor extended the partial state government shutdown that began Thursday until at least Friday.
The order applies to non-essential employees in the Capitol complex and elsewhere in the Harrisburg area as well as those in state office buildings in Scranton and Reading.
Corbett says sewage treatment plants are failing along the Susquehanna River and its tributaries as flood waters rise in the northeast and central parts of the state.
At a Thursday evening briefing, Governor Corbett said there are a lot of reasons to stay out of floodwaters, one of them is that in some places they are not clean.
"A total of ten water and sewage treatment plants so far have failed… meaning that in those areas, the water is toxic. It's going to come downstream."
As he spoke to reporters Thursday evening, the governor said there were more than 1200 national guard members on duty who had evacuated 60 people by ground and rescued 76 people and six dogs by air.
The state emergency operations center is at "level one" status for the first time since September 11, 2001.
Reported by Tony Romeo, KYW Newsradio
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