Flooding on the Susquehanna is the big concern in the coming weeks after all theses snow storms we’ve gotten this winter.
And with the rising temperatures in the coming days — many people in Central Pennsylvania are worried, especially those who live close to the river.
The people of Harrisburg have some good news when it comes to the river.
According to the Harrisburg Fire Chief, they won’t have to worry about flooding.
You may have even caught a glimpse of what the river looks like right now.
It’s quite the sight, but to your surprise, all the ice chunks and snow won’t cause officials any headaches this year.
“The snow and ice will melt slowly obviously we’re going to see melting on the roads and stuff like that quicker but as things start to melt it’ll be absorbed into the river the ice will start to fracture and ‘frizzure’ and will flow down the river (to the Chesapeake Bay) without any incident,” says Harrisburg Fire Chief, Brian Enterline.
Although the river in Harrisburg only measures in at 4.6 feet right now — officials are still following a plan that has been in place for years.
“At 11 feet we start notifying certain people at 12 feet we start notifying additional people and we put things into play in our emergency operations people and we start monitoring things closely on an hourly basis,” says Enterline.
Flood stage is 17 feet, and that’s far from what Enterline is predicting this year.
He also wants people to know that even though the river looks like a parking lop on top, the water is still flowing underneath…and it’s not safe to walk on.
“If you fall through the fractured ice you will be swept underneath the ice,” says Enterline.
Chief Enterline says his office is constantly monitoring the river.
If you have any questions on what to expect, you can contact Chief Brian Enterline at BEnterline@cityofhbg.com