Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

City Island is closed, but the National Weather Service has dialed down its flood forecast for Harrisburg.

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse (right) provides a flood forecast update with fire chief Brian Enterline (center) and deputy chief Michael Souder (left) on City Island on Wednesday afternoon.

Harrisburg officials will “prepare for the worst and hope for the best” as the city braces for two more days of rain and flooding, Mayor Eric Papenfuse said yesterday.

Papenfuse announced that City Island will be closed starting Thursday, as rain throughout the region drives up water levels on the Susquehanna River.

The closure includes the City Island parking lots, meaning that any downtown employees who normally park there will have to find other spots until the island reopens.

Harrisburg had a respite from the rain, but Fire Bureau Chief Brian Enterline said that continued precipitation to the north could still cause flooding within the city.

Even so, the forecast for the city has actually improved, when the National Weather Service projected that water levels would crest at 20 feet on the Susquehanna.

The revised forecast anticipates an 18-foot water level, Papenfuse said. City officials are preparing for 20 feet, which would cause flooding on City Island but spare Riverfront Park and homes on both shores of the Susquehanna.

“They’ve revised it up and revised it down, but hopefully we’ll be in good shape with the new forecast,” Papenfuse said.

City officials do not expect to evacuate any residents under the current forecast. Enterline said that the city would begin evacuations if flood-level forecasts reach 24 feet.

The last time the city called for evacuations was in 2011, during flooding from Tropical Storm Lee, Papenfuse said.

Papenfuse said that residents should stay away from City Island and the Susquehanna River tomorrow. He also urged residents in the flood plain to relocate any items they have stored in their basements.

Continue Reading