As the region prepares for up to 6 inches of rain from Hurricane Sandy, city crews were busy Saturday cleaning debris from the streets.
Scranton's Department of Public Works will continue to focus on keeping the streets clear for the next few days so storm sewers are not blocked during the heavy rain, said DPW Director Mark Dougher.
"We ask people to please either bag leaves or keep them in the yard until after the storm passes," he said.
AccuWeather meteorologist Mark Paquette said the bad weather is expected to arrive in the region as early as Monday morning. In addition to heavy rain, sustained wind speeds could reach 40 mph, with gusts of 60 mph, he said. Tuesday will be miserable as well, but the storm will begin to taper off by Wednesday, he said.
Residents of the Mid-Atlantic states have seen hurricanes skirt the East Coast and then go to sea, but Sandy is predicted to act very differently. Instead of heading out to sea to die around Canada, it is forecast to take a sharp left into Delaware and continue north into Pennsylvania.
Meteorological machinations in the upper atmosphere are responsible for the rare behavior, said Brian Lovejoy, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association in Binghamton, N.Y.
The amount of rain expected isn't likely to cause the Susquehanna River to flood. However, it could cause smaller creeks to overrun their banks and will probably cause some power outages, Mr. Lovejoy said.
"The most concern we have is for wind. We're thinking there will be a significant amount of trees and power lines affected by the wind," he said. "We actually think the rain, even though it will be heavy and there will possibly be moderate flooding, will be a secondary concern down there."
PPL said in a news release that it was bringing in extra crews and urged customers to report outages.
Wyoming County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Eugene Dziak echoed Mr. Lovejoy's comments, saying wind will likely cause more trouble than the rain in his region. He does not expect the Susquehanna River to flood, though many residents in the county are still wary after the flooding last year.
"I've had people calling all day for sandbags," he said Saturday night. "Our biggest threat is really going to be the wind, though."
To prepare for the storm, many area residents were visiting supermarkets to stock up on the essentials. Employees at several local stores said they saw more than the usual number of customers Saturday. Grocery staples, nonperishable food, water, batteries and flashlights were hot commodities.
Honesdale resident Bob Gan was at Gerrity's on Meadow Avenue in Scranton Saturday and was stocking up on the staples like water, bread and batteries. He said he is glad that temperature will stay above freezing. "I'm just glad it's warm enough for no snow," Mr. Gan said. "All I could think of was what if it's feet and feet of snow?"
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