HERSHEY, Pa. (WHTM) -
The flooding Swatara Creek is causing numerous problems in Hershey as it approaches what is expected to be a record stage of 20 feet.
The township declared a state of emergency as a result of excessive flooding, water damage and a broken gas main. Residents are encouraged to travel only if necessary.
The Derry Township School District said it was told by police to "shelter in place," meaning no students were to be released from campus.
All students who were to be released early from the elementary building were being kept on the campus, and middle and high school students who could not be safely transported home during an early dismissal were returned to the campus.
A district official told abc27 News that between 1,500 and 1,800 students remained at the schools as of 4 p.m.
The children were allowed to be picked up by parents who could get to the elementary school later in the day, but the district was prepared to keep the children overnight, if necessary.
A spokeswoman for Penn State Hershey Medical Center said ambulances were having trouble getting to the hospital due to blocked roads in the township. Overall hospital operations were not affected.
The spokeswoman said several roads on the hospital campus were flooded, but the main access to the hospital was clear.
Derry Township police reported that Route 422, known locally as East Chocolate Avenue, was underwater and impassable from Mansion Road to Para Avenue. Route 39 was restricted to one travel lane at the Swatara Creek bridge.
The Park Village Plaza was underwater and all businesses have been evacuated, police said. Roadways leading to and from the plaza are flooded.
In nearby Hummelstown, the local emergency management agency reported that the only access to the borough is Quarry Road. No other roadways were open. Authorities are asking people to not enter or leave the Hummelstown.
The National Weather Service said the Swatara Creek is expected to reach 20 feet in Hershey Thursday afternoon, and was expected to reach "major" flood stage of 14 feet this evening. Flood stage in Hershey is seven feet.
At 14 feet, numerous homes adjacent to the creek and upstream of the Route 39 bridge are affected by high water.
The record crest in Hershey is 16.12 feet, recorded during a flood in June 2006, according to weather service records.
Penn State Hershey Medical Center has announced the following closings/delays:
- Clinics on the east side of campus, at 30 and 35 Hope Drive, are closed for the rest of the day.
- Outpatient clinics at Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, in Hershey, are closed until 11 a.m. on September 8.
- Penn State Hershey Internal Medicine at West Campus is closed until 1 p.m. on September 8.
The following Penn State Hershey Medical Group offices are closed until 1 p.m. on September 8:
- Penn State Hershey Medical Group--Harrisburg, 1711 N. Front Street, Harrisburg
- Penn State Hershey Medical Group--Nyes Road, 121 Nyes Road, Harrisburg
- Penn State Hershey Medical Group-- Elizabethtown, 1 Continental Drive, Elizabethtown
- Penn State Hershey Medical Group--Briarcrest, 905 W. Governor Road, Hershey
Classes for the remainder of the day at Penn State College of Medicine have been canceled.
