Salisbury Prepares for Hurricane Irene

Editor's note: Patch will be covering the storm impact throughout the weekend. We invite readers to send photos and observations of the storm to wendy.solomon@patch.com

Hurricane Irene is expected to bring heavy rain and winds gusting up to 60 mph in Salisbury Township Saturday night into Sunday.

“We are prepared for anything that might happen on Sunday,” Salisbury Police Chief Allen Stiles told township commissioners during their Thursday board meeting.

Stiles said he met with Lehigh County Emergency Management Coordinator Jeffrey Tapler, and also with representatives of Lehigh Valley Hospital—Cedar Crest to review emergency plans for the expected storm.

“We know our flood-prone intersections and catch basins are already being cleared,” Stiles said.

Township Director of Public Works John Andreas reported, “We are in really good shape.”

Andreas said South Mall has a plan in place to address potential flooding at S. 33rd and Lehigh streets and the township is prepared for flooding along Keystone Street along the Little Lehigh and between Keck’s Bridge and Rathburn Bridge.

Just in case, “Don’t drive through standing water at any time,” advised Stiles.

More rain dousing our already saturated ground could cause downed trees and power outages. The American Red Cross of the Lehigh Valley and utility companies advise residents to have a storm kit handy.

Your kit should include:

• Bottled water (one gallon per person per day).
• Non-perishable food and can opener.
• Blankets, bedding and toiletries.
• Baby formula, diapers, bottles and wet wipes, if needed.
• First-aid kit and enough prescription medicines.
• Flashlight with fresh batteries.
• Battery-operated radio.
• Hand sanitizer.
• Paper plates and plastic utensils.
• Extra cash.
• Emergency contact information.
• Manufacturer’s instructions for power-operated garage doors.

You can also visit www.health.state.pa.us and get a copy of Pennsylvania’s Emergency Preparedness Guide.

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Joanna Poncavage contributed to this report.