HERSHEY, Pa. - More than 100,000 residents were ordered to flee the rising Susquehanna River on Thursday as the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee dumped more rain across the Northeast, socking areas still recovering from Hurricane Irene and closing major highways at the morning rush.

The Susquehanna is projected to crest in northeastern Pennsylvania between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday at 41 feet — the same height as the levee system protecting riverfront communities including Wilkes-Barre and Kingston, officials said. Residents were ordered to leave by 4 p.m.

"There is no need to panic," Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton said. "This is a precautionary evacuation and the safety of our residents is our biggest concern. We have prepared for this type of emergency and we are ready to respond to whatever comes our way over the next 72 hours."

In Binghamton, N.Y., about 80 miles upstream from Wilkes-Barre, the Susquehanna broke a flood record Thursday morning and overflowed its retaining walls downtown.

Emergency responders were scrambling to evacuate holdouts who didn't heed earlier warnings to leave city neighborhoods threatened by record flooding. Evacuation orders began being issued Wednesday to some 20,000 people in the city and neighboring communities along the Susquehanna.

Broome County emergency services manager Brett Chellis told The Associated Press that water started coming over the walls about 10 a.m., less than 12 hours after officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for sections of the city near where the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers converge.

"It's getting worse by the minute," Chellis said.

The National Weather Service said the river level is over 25 feet, above the 25-foot record set in 2006 and more than 11 feet above flood stage. It's expected to rise another foot or so.

more

http://www.startribune.com/nation/129449778.html