YORK, Pa. — State and local agencies tell FOX43 they are working to prepare our roadways for potential flooding and getting ready to respond should the situation warrant it as heavy rainfall moves in tonight from the remnants of Ida.
Ted Czech from the York County Office of Emergency Management says that crews have been out the past few days prepping storm drains for the incoming rainfall.
“It’s going to happen," he says. "The rain’s going to come. The flooding is going to occur. So, it’s doing the best that we can to mitigate those circumstances.
“We understand that at the state and local level crews are out and they are removing debris from storm drains to make way for the excess water, that’s one thing that’s being done.”
State agencies are also finalizing and executing plans in case they are needed across the Commonwealth.
“We’re looking at the modeling and we’re looking at unaffected areas of the state and moving water rescue resources from unaffected areas of the state into the areas that we believe will be most affected," PEMA director Randy Padfield tells FOX43.
York County has boats that they can use to conduct water rescues if need be. The Pennsylvania Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team is also on standby, according to Czech.
“That’s a joint operation between the national guard that supplies the helicopter and the pilots and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that supplies the swimmers. So that would be in the event of a serious water rescue," says Czech.
Officials also hope that people at home are taking necessary preparations as well. They say you can help prevent local flooding at home by cleaning out your gutters and checking that your sump pump is operating correctly.
And it’s always wise to have a plan to get to higher ground.
Officials recommend people stay home on Wednesday, if possible.
Just two weeks ago, York County had 24 water rescues as the remnants of Fred moved through the area.
Czech is hoping people heed the warnings with this storm and can stay safe.