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Ice jams, rising waters causing concern along Kiski River

Concern is rising -- and so is the water -- in Hyde Park Borough as ice jams trigger a flood warning and a voluntary evacuation order.

The little borough is tucked into a tight bend of the Kiskiminetas River in Westmoreland County.

The ice jams along the river have caused water to swell the river’s banks.

“It does worry me,” resident Brenda Shick said. “I’ve never seen it completely around our shed before.”

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Residents like Chad Shearer are packing up and moving valuables to higher ground.

“I’ve lived here all my life,” Shearer said. “I’ve never seen it like this.”

Water is inching closer and closer to properties. Enterprise Way is blocked by floodwaters; at the end of the road, the river has already spilled into a business park and frozen over.

Meanwhile, a walking bridge connecting Hyde Park and Leechburg is closed as waters rise.

“It’s pretty bad,” Shearer said.

Bad enough for borough officials to call for a voluntary evacuation.

EMA officials said their crews are checking the water levels every hour or two. They said if temperatures warm up enough, the flooding could get worse starting late Friday afternoon.

If the voluntary evacuation order becomes mandatory, the fire hall sirens will sound.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers, American Red Cross and local emergency agencies have been notified.