Pocono News Section

Jackson Township Evacuations

Jackson Township Evacuations - Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at 4:26PM EST

Reported by: Jill Konopka
Wednesday, Mar 5, 2008 @04:26pm EST
(JACKSON TOWNSHIP, Luzerne County) - Mother Nature delivered a healthy dose of rain and plenty of problems to Luzerne County's Back Mountain this morning as well At least three homes were inundated with water. WBRE’s Jill Konopka has the story of the Jackson Township evacuations. A heavy helping of rain delivered voluntary evacuations for 21 families living near the Huntsville Creek on Hillside Road in Jackson Township. Novella Huey is an evacuee, "It's scary. If the dam breaks' we're all gone." Huey says she's not risking it, especially after losing so much in the flood of 2006. Huey added, "It was devastating after I bought it and moved in." Emergency crews were called in to start sandbagging. The Road shut down. Responders say it's a safety issue for everyone living nearby. John Wilkes Junior is the Township’s Emergency Coordinator, "I think with the flood of 06' lose four bridges, two of them in our eyesight people realize their lives may be in danger." But a few weren't sold on the idea of packing up and heading for drier ground. Melissa Souder works at the Hillside Dairy Farm, "We really can't evacuate because we gotta’ take care of the cows." Melissa Souder works at the Hillside Dairy Farm near the Huntsville Dam. It's hard for her to leave her work, her livelihood behind. Souder added, "It's crazy. It's kind of scary. I'm worried about the cows." But some say it could be for the better. Wilkes Junior added, "All that from the creek over in three different spots."