Top Stories

Pittsburgh prepares for possibility of flooding from Hurricane Florence

PITTSBURGH — Hurricane Florence may not make a direct hit on Pittsburgh, but some city leaders and experts are preparing for the possibility of flooding.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continued to release water from dams around Pittsburgh, including the Conemaugh River Lake Dam, where the water rose more than 65 feet during last weekend’s heavy rain.

A Corps spokesman said the water is being released aggressively but safely to be prepared for the possibility of more rain this weekend.

TRENDING NOW:

"Now we have to get back down in case Florence takes a right turn and makes its way up toward us," said Jeff Hawk.

Pittsburgh city leaders met Wednesday morning to discuss the possibility of flooding, particularly on the Monongahela River, which flows north from West Virginia, which is expected to get heavy rainfall from Florence.

"We may not see the rain, the heavy rains," said city operations chief Guy Costa. "But there's a possibility we could see heavy flooding along the Monongahela River. So we want to be very careful and be prepared for it."

Contractors are on standby for possible landslides, as well.