NBC 10 Reports:
Hurricane Irene thrashed violently through Philadelphia, touching off at least one tornado, raising the Schuylkill River to levels not seen in 140 years, and drenching the Delaware and Jersey shores overnight as forecasters warned flooding conditions will get worse over the next couple days.
The hurricane made landfall near Little Egg Inlet, N.J., about 5:30 a.m. Sunday, less than 12 hours after spinning off a tornado in Sussex County, Del. just south of Lewes Saturday night. One home was demolished and more than a dozen homes were damaged in the Nassau Station and Tradewinds Subdivisions about 7 p.m. Saturday.
“The hurricane we expected,” said a local man who witnessed the destruction. “The tornado is really a shock to me… And it happened out of nowhere.”
With severe flooding threatening much of the region and Hurricane Irene killing at least 10 people as it moved up the Eastern Seaboard, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter declared a state of emergencyfor the first time since 1986.
“This could be the worst storm event to hit the Philadelphia area in 50 years,” Nutter warned.
About 139,000 area residents lost power as Hurricane Irene brought lashing rain and wind gusts of up to 54 mph at the Philadelphia International Airport. Tornado warnings were issued in southeastern Pennsylvania.
During a Saturday night emergency briefing the mayor said he expects the Schuylkill to crest at 15 feet and other creeks, rivers and streams to flood — threatening nearby streets.
“That is historically significant,” Nutter said of the Schuylkill. “We have not seen that level of cresting since 1869.”
Eight to 15 inches of rain could fall in some areas around Philadelphia, and NBC10 Chief Meteorologist Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz has warned that it will only take two inches of rain in most areas to cause flooding because of the drenching the region already has endured this summer.
Irene brought winds of nearly 70 mph along the coast and 40 to 60 mph inland. In some areas in Darby Township, Pa., floodwaters were rising throughout Sunday morning.
As the hurricane was moving into the area Saturday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett predicted the flooding after a briefing with FEMA and President Obama.
“We do anticipate severe flooding, not only in Southeastern Pennsylvania, but there is potential for severe flooding in the Lehigh Valley, in Northeastern Pennsylvania and there is the potential for flooding in portions of Central Pennsylvania,” Corbett said.
The governor said he was concerned that aside from the Philly suburban area, people may not be taking the flooding threat seriously enough. Corbett declared a state of emergency and mobilized 1,750 National Guard members to help in flood-prone areas.
Hurricane Irene began pummeling the East Coast since early Saturday morning, killing at least 10 people, including two children, and leaving about three million people without power across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
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