Delaware expected to reach flood level
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By: MATT COUGHLIN, BEN FINLEY AND CHRIS RUVO
Bucks County Courier Times
Bucks County is still feeling Nicole this morning.
The Delaware River is expected to spill over its banks about 8 a.m. Saturday as the result of rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole. Lower Makefield officials said they planned to close sections of River Road in advance of minor flooding from the river.
The powerful rainstorm, which crashed through Bucks Thursday night into Friday morning, cut power to about 2,400 people countywide, stranded a few motorists in low-lying areas and cut loose a barge on a the Delaware River Friday.
A barge holding a small crane used in repair efforts for the Route 202 Bridge upstream above New Hope went adrift shortly after 7 a.m. The rapidly rising river pulled the barge's anchors, or spuds, to come loose from the riverbed and it started moving downstream, according to officials.
New Hope firefighters quickly rushed the barge captain and a crewman out to the vessel using a speedy river fan boat, officials said. The crew attempted to steady the barge in a shallow section of river, but was unable to do so. The firefighters and crew used the spuds like feet to maneuver the barge between the New Hope-Lambertville Bridge support piers without causing any damage and then stabilized the barge about 200 to 250 yards south of the bridge.
As of Friday night, the National Weather Service predicted that the river would reach flood level, 20 feet above normal, before receding. Officials in the Bucks County radio room said no road closures were reported in connection with the creek flooding. However, some flooding occurred in low-lying areas, including portions of State Road in Bensalem and Taylorsville Road in Upper Makefield, officials said.
The majority of the 2,400 outages in Bucks - 1,400 - were in the Langhhorne/Middletown area, according to John Dougherty, the county's emergency management coordinator. Most outages were due to tree limbs bringing down power lines.
Emergency responders rescued people whose cars got stuck in high water, including spots along State Road and Station Avenue in Bensalem, Green Lane in Bristol and Route 309 in Quakertown.
Meteorologists expect Saturday and Sunday to remain dry with some clouds and temperatures in the 60s, AccuWeather.com. Rain is possible Monday and the temperature is expected to drop into the high 50s.
Ben Finley can be reached at 215-949-4203 or
. Chris Ruvo can be reached at 215-345-3147 or