Philly Recovering, NJ Asked to Stay Home

Hurricane Irene is finally gone but areas across the region are dealing with the aftermath.

While Philadelphia's roads and transportation system have made a smooth transition to almost-business-as -usual, parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware are still a bit of a mess.

Gov. Chris Christie advised residents who don't have to be at work on Monday to not go.

Christie warned that it will be very difficult to get around the state on Monday because the storm has flooded so many roads, large and small.

The floods have also idled N.J. Transit trains. The Atlantic City line is the only one that will be running on Monday. Commuters to New York will have to rely on buses, their cars or the PATH system.

State government offices will be open. Christie said it's important that government agencies be working to deal with issues arising from the storm.

Delaware residents are cleaning up after fierce flooding and even a twister hit the area.

Major flooding also turned Main Street in Manayunk into something resembling a river.

Along the Delaware River, communities readied for the water, with Easton and New Hope bracing for major flooding that could come Monday morning or afternoon if the river crests to 31 feet, or nine feet above flood stage.

In Allentown, Mayor Ed Pawloski asked residents to conserve water for the next 48 hours as water main breaks are repaired.

Officials in Easton's Forks Township have asked residents living along the Delaware River to leave their homes. Lower Bethel Township emergency management coordinator Marvin McCammon said about 100 people in that community will be urged to evacuate several hours before the river reaches flood level on Monday.

The Schuylkill River wreaked havoc on Sunday, cresting to more than 15 feet in Norristown and inundating homes with muddy water. In Philadelphia the Schuylkill flooded low-lying streets and crested at 13.56 feet just after 2 p.m., below the 15-foot level that city officials had forecast but still well above flood stage. It then fell back to 13.42 feet and continued to drop throughout the night.

Confirmed New Jersey Deaths

Celena Sylvestri, 20, of Quinton, called her boyfriend and then 911 early Sunday seeking help getting out of her flooded car in Pilesgrove, according to police. Her body was found eight hours later in the vehicle, which was about 150 feet off the road.

Confirmed Pennsylvania Deaths

On Saturday night, a driver in his 40s died after losing control of his car and crashing his vehicle into a power pole on Algon Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia. The crash caused the pole to snap, bringing live wires down onto the car. He was removed and pronounced dead. A 47-year-old female passenger was taken to Torresdale Hospital where she is in stable condition.

Michael Scerarko, 44, of Stroudsburg, was killed Sunday when a tree fell on top of him in his yard. Scerarko pushed his son out of the way but couldn't get himself out of harm's way, according to police.

A 58-year-old Harrisburg man was killed Sunday morning when a tree toppled onto his tent, according to State Police. The man was one of about 20 people at a party on private property in East Hanover Township, Dauphin County, some of whom decided to sleep outside.

A man in a camper was crushed by a tree in northeastern Pennsylvania's Luzerne County, according to state emergency management officials. Police found his body shortly before 11 a.m. on Sunday.

A motorist was killed when he lost control of his car on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Carbon County, skidded over an embankment and hit a tree.

On Sunday police found the body of Patricia O'Neill, 64, of East Norriton Township. They first discovered her car in the Wissahickon Creek Area in Whitemarsh. They then found her body along the edge of a creek below Bethlehem Pike, around 1/2 a mile away from where the car was located.

Major Flooding

  • Delaware River-New Hope: Crest at 1 p.m. on Monday
  • Neshaminy Creek-Langhorne: Crested
  • Assunpink Creek-Trenton: Crested 2 a.m. on Monday
  • Ranocas Creek-Pemberton: Crested 2 a.m. on Monday

Moderate Flooding

  • Brandywine Creek-Chadds Ford-Crested
  • Delaware-Trenton to Reig.-Crest 2 p.m. on Monday
  • Schuylkill-Norristown-Crested

Click here for the full list of flood warnings for rivers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Power Outages

Numerous areas are still without power.

Delmarva Power will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. on Monday to provide updates on its service restoration efforts.

Aside from the numerous homes, a Gloucester County hospital was also without power.

It happened Sunday night around 9 p.m. at the Underwood Memorial Hospital. Water entered a manhole and caused a wire to fray leading to a power outage. The PSEG arrived at the scene and worked to fix the problem throughout the night before finally restoring power at 3 a.m.

Red Cross

The American Red Cross will participate in a telephone briefing to provide an update on Red Cross service in states affected by Irene, including New Jersey and Delaware.

The briefing will take place on Monday at 2 p.m. Gail McGovern, the President and CEO of the American Red Cross and Charley Shimanski, the Senior Vice President of Disaster Services will both speak.

Reopening

The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa will reopen at 12 p.m. on Monday. Hotel guests with reservations for Monday night will be able to check in at any time after 3 p.m. Ten other casinos are set to reopen at noon.

Morey’s Piers and Beach Front Waterparks will reopen on Monday. Raging Waters Waterpark will reopen at 12 p.m. while Mariner’s Landing will reopen at 5 p.m. On Tuesday, Ocean Oasis Waterpark will reopen at 10 a.m. and Surfside and Adventure Pier will reopen at 5 p.m. Morey’s Piers will resume full operation on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Irene Aftermath:

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Copyright AP - Associated Press
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