Severe Flash Flooding In Dubois, Surrounding Areas
DUBOIS, Pa. (AP) - Heavy rains flooded DuBois and other parts of west-central Pennsylvania on Thursday afternoon, after several inches of rain followed two days of storms.
Officials warned of possible tornadoes in south-central Pennsylvania and the Jefferson County commissioners signed a declaration of disaster emergency.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency said all roads into DuBois in neighboring Clearfield County were closed due to the high waters.
Sandy Lick Creek and the Tannery Dam overflowed, closing some roads in the area about 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. One shelter in DuBois had about 20 people, and the American Red Cross set up two other shelters in the area, executive director Jason Bange said.
"This is pretty good sized-flooding in the area. A lot of people are affected," Bange said.
Heavy rains fell on already waterlogged ground, said Elyse Colbert, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in State College.
"There's areas that have gotten six inches or more," Colbert said. "So it's a lot of rain in a short period of time."
In Clearfield County, PEMA said there were several evacuations of businesses and homes and four emergency shelters were established.
Emergency dispatchers reported flooding in and around Sykesville, Reynoldsville and Big Run along the U.S. Route 119 corridor southeast of Dubois.
The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for southwestern Juniata and southwestern Perry counties and a tornado watch remained in effect until 10 p.m. for south-central Pennsylvania.
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