Heavy rain from a massive storm, the remains of what had been Hurricane Ivan, moved into the already water-logged Pittsburgh region yesterday, flooding creeks and streams, causing widespread evacuations and trapping people in homes, schools and their cars.

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That it was merely the remnants of a hurricane gave testament to the power of Ivan, which was blamed for at least 39 U.S. deaths and caused massive destruction on the Gulf Coast this week.

The unofficial rainfall total recorded at Pittsburgh International Airport was 5.9 inches, breaking the one-day rainfall record of 3.6 inches set Sept. 8 after the remnants of Hurricane Frances also swept through the region.

Allegheny County officials said thousands of people were evacuated from several municipalities. They included Etna, Shaler, Millvale, West Deer, Bridgeville, Carnegie and South Fayette, said county Chief Executive Dan Onorato.

By 5:15 p.m., faced with road closings everywhere, Onorato declared a state of emergency in the county. Two hours later, Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy followed suit, as did officials of all counties surrounding Allegheny.

Gov. Ed Rendell got into the act late in the evening, declaring a disaster emergency in Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler and Washington counties.

"Tropical Depression Ivan continues to hit much of the Commonwealth particularly hard and it is important to be proactive in responding to emergency needs that may arise," Rendell said.

Allegheny County kept all of its 180 public works and maintenance employees on duty throughout the night to help in the areas hardest hit, said Tom Donatelli, the county public works director.

At least 50 people were hospitalized, mostly for hypothermia, broken bones and cuts, according to County Emergency Management Director Bob Full.

And officials were keeping an eye on the region's rivers, which are expected to crest above flood stage today.

"It's going to get worse before it gets better," said Murphy. "As far as moving around Pittsburgh, people are going to have to be patient."

Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette Seth Jackson carries a camera as he checks damage to a neighbor's home along Camp Horne Road in Emsworth. Camp Horne Creek, which is normally about a yard wide this time of year, was about 50 feet wide at this house. The water tore off the corner of the garage and buckled the garage door. Click photo for larger image.

And in sports mad Western Pennsylvania, dozens of high school football games were canceled last night, as was the Pirates' game against the New York Mets. Many of the football games will be played today, weather permitting.

Yesterday's record-setting rain fell onto creeks that were still swollen from last week's storms.

"It always floods when a hurricane comes up," said National Weather Service meteorologist Ray Visneski. "You can't avoid it. It came up, it slowed down and it rained like hell"

But the scope of the rainfall and flooding shocked thousands of people around the region despite flood watches issued as early as Thursday.

Yesterday's torrential rains and flooding fulfilled much of an ominous forecast issued Thursday, when the weather service predicted that 3.5 to 7 inches could fall over Pittsburgh, southern Allegheny County and Washington County.

That forecast also predicted that the Monongahela River could rise as high as 42. 5 feet in Charleroi, where flood stage is 28 feet, and the Ohio could crest at 30 feet at the Point, Downtown, where flood stage is 25 feet, by early Sunday.

The weather service later downgraded those rainfall and river-level estimates somewhat, issuing a forecast at noon yesterday predicting that 2 to 4.5 inches of rain would fall by noon Saturday on top of about an inch that had fallen by then.

But within three hours, rainfall was so heavy over Western Pennsylvania that hundreds of homes, roads and businesses around the region were inundated by rapidly rising water. Much of that rainfall fell north of the city and in Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties as well.

Although the official count was 5.9 inches at the airport, totals elsewhere were even higher, reaching 7 inches in many areas of Allegheny and Beaver County and 8.6 inches in Wheeling, W.Va. Northern Washington recorded 5 inches and Greensburg got 6 inches.

"It's very difficult to predict precipitation, particularly with [evolving] tropical systems," Visneski said.

In a near repeat of events that caused last week's flooding, yesterday's deluge resulted from the collision of the remains of Ivan and a cold front that had stalled over northern Allegheny and Butler County after moving eastward into Pennsylvania from Ohio, Visneski said.

The storm system that had been Ivan, by then, had been relatively compact as it spun northward over Tennessee, Visneski said. But by the time it reached West Virginia, it was slowing and losing strength. Colliding with the other weather system here made it spread out and slow down even further, causing it to dump rain longer and over a broader area, he said.

The remnants of Ivan created a roughly oval-shaped band that dumped about seven inches of rain on communities lying between Zanesville, Ohio and Pittsburgh. Another band north of that dropped about five inches on everything between Steubenville, Ohio, and Butler County.

Although some residents and municipal officials expressed surprise at the severity of the rain and flooding, Visneski said the weather service did everything possible to warn people of what was coming.

"Don't ask for perfection. Meteorology isn't an exact science," he said. "We put out the most likely information we had at the time."

In some cases, areas that got 7 inches of rain were one county away from communities that got much less. And many areas would have flooded anyway even if just 2 to 4 inches of rain had fallen because creeks were already high and ground already saturated, he said.

The heaviest rain will have passed through Allegheny County by midnight and will slacken to a drizzle by this afternoon, Visneski said. The weather then will remain clear until at least Wednesday, he said.

The rivers

Flood warnings remain in effect today for the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers. The Ohio River is expected to crest at the Point at 28.5 feet, 3.5 feet above flood stage, at 8 tonight.

That should bring river water up to the fountain at Point State Park. By last night, the river had reached 19.7 feet at the Point, forcing the closing of the nearby Monongahela Wharf, which floods at 17 feet, and the Tenth Street Bypass.

Walkways in the North Shore Riverfront Park will likely be under water and closed to pedestrians on their way to today's scheduled Pitt-Nebraska football game at Heinz Field and Pirates-Mets baseball game at PNC Park. The Ohio River is also expected to exceed flood stage through West Virginia and Ohio.

The Monongahela River is expected to crest at 30.5 feet in Charleroi and 22.5 feet in Elizabeth, 2.5 feet above flood stage at both spots. It should hit 23.6 feet in Braddock, where flood stage is 22 feet.

Its rising waters will also force motorists to detour around a low-lying section of the Parkway adjacent to the Mon Wharf. Motorists will be rerouted over Fort Pitt Boulevard between Grant and Stanwix Streets.

As of last night, the weather service was not predicting the Allegheny River would flood. But the Youghiogheny River is expected to crest at 15.2 feet in Connellsville, about 3 feet above flood stage, and at 22.2 feet in Sutersville, slightly more than 2 feet above flood stage.

Carnegie

	J. Monroe Butler II, Post-Gazette Rescue workers patrol Main Street in Carnegie in a Braddock Volunteer Fire Department boat early this morning. Click photo for larger image.

Twenty-two people, including borough police Chief Jeff Harbin, had a narrow escape late last night after they were trapped for several hours on the Mansfield Bridge.

Emergency personnel early this morning, however, were trying to locate two members of the Coast Guard in a disabled boat who were involved in the rescue operation.

The 22 people became trapped on the bridge when Chartiers Creek overflowed its banks as they tried to cross the span. River rescue workers from the Coast Guard and Bullskin Township in Fayette County arrived in boats to help bring the stranded group to safety.

Five members of the group were rescued in boats, while the remaining 17 scrambled to safety and ended up in the Holy Souls Church, itself surrounded by water, Onorato said.

Shaler

The township was devastated by high water from Little Pine Creek, with hundreds of people seeking shelter at the Shaler Intermediate School and other locations converted into overnight dormitories.

The surging creek left parts of Route 8, Mount Royal Boulevard, Babcock Boulevard and smaller roads impassable by mid-afternoon, causing the school district to keep students in school until parents could pick them up. Rising basement water forced residents out of their homes, and motorists were left stranded.

"Some of [the roads] are under 10 feet of water," said township Manager Tim Rogers. That compounded problems in trying to identify the location of a water-main break. The water plant shut down, and while water service was still available, officials issued a call for conservation.

"There's substantial property damage and substantial infrastructure damage," Rogers said.

School Superintendent Donald Lee said 165 students were "still stranded with us" as of 7:15 p.m., and 70 at various schools still were stranded two hours later. Residents brought dozens of blankets and pillows to the intermediate school on Mount Royal Boulevard, where the 70 students were being taken for the night. About 300 Shaler, Etna and Millvale residents also were staying at the school.

"Everyone is pitching in here, and we appreciate it," Lee said.

Rogers said some older residents who were transported to the intermediate school brought their pets, and officials obtained medications from Thrift Drug to help those who couldn't get their drugs out of their homes.

"We're just trying to bunk people down, get them some food, and sleep overnight. We're going to take a look at things in the morning," Rogers said.

Some people sought refuge in fire halls near home, including residents of the Locust Grove Trailer Court along Kay Street, which was covered with water.

Betsy Gerst, a member of the Shaler Villa Volunteer Fire Department, went to the fire hall from her home five doors away on Saxonburg Boulevard when water filled the basement and got within two steps of her first floor. Her last view of the house was her washer and dryer floating on their sides. She and her husband will have to replace those appliances and her furnace, just like in a 1986 flood.

"We moved as much as we could from the basement to the upstairs," said Gerst, 59, whose basement, about 100 feet from Little Pine Creek, had begun filling when she arrived home at about 3:15 p.m..

"It happened very quickly. I went from having a half inch of water to being up to my knees in water in probably about a five- to 10-minute span," she said.

Millvale

Eight feet of water rushed through Millvale from Girtys Run, turning the borough's business district into a "disaster area" of shattered windows, mud-choked streets and debris, Mayor James Burn said.

Borough officials declared a dusk-to-dawn curfew, with Allegheny County sheriff's deputies assisting local police. Five people were arrested for looting items from broken storefronts.

Emergency personnel in motorboats rescued at least 20 people from homes and businesses. They were taken to the Millvale Recreation Center, used as an overnight shelter.

Many of the more than 50 businesses along Grant and North and surrounding streets sustained heavy damage, Burn said.

"It was like watching The Weather Channel, the same kind of devastation as the pictures of the hurricane from the Caribbean," Burn said.

Etna

Streets in lower Etna filled with water up to 5 feet high in a matter of minutes, stranding residents and workers in late afternoon.

Water poured into the Blarney Stone restaurant on Grant Street at 3 p.m., sending three workers upstairs, where they were still awaiting a boat rescue last night. Waitress Mary Bond said the employees had just urged the last remaining group of lunch customers to leave and had moved their cars to higher ground when the flooding began.

The workers began trying to move some of the restaurant's items to keep them dry, and as quick as they started, they had to move upstairs to save themselves. Little Pine Creek a block away had swelled far over its banks, and hundreds of residents were evacuated.

"In 10 minutes, there was 3 feet of water inside," said Bond, 63, who lives on much higher ground in Greenfield. "We just ran upstairs and started calling everybody."

They called police and were told to "sit tight," as they were safe and other emergencies took precedence.

"We'd like to get out, but we're OK," Bond said at 9 p.m. "We're just looking out the window and praying for somebody to get here. They're supposed to be getting a big boat to get us out, sooner or later."

Plum

	John Beale, Post-Gazette Floodwaters on New Texas Road prevent a police officer from exiting the Plum Boro Municipal buildingT. Click photo for larger image.

Fast-rising creeks threatened homes and bridges, forcing the evacuation of dozens of residents in two housing developments.

Residents of the Kirkpatrick Trailer Park on Hulton Road were evacuated after a creek began rising, as were residents of Crystal Springs, a housing development of 20 to 30 homes along Greensburg Road, according to resident Janice Bayne.

Residents of Crystal Springs were told to leave after a creek rose nearly to the top of the bridge that provides access to the neighborhood, Bayne said.

"I've lived there 31 years and this is the first time we've had to be evacuated," she said.

Water levels were so high that dugouts at the community's refurbished baseball fields on New Texas Road were under water. The road was closed in several places.

Across the street from the fields, at the community's municipal building and police department, a veteran's memorial was underwater and waters lapped at the doorway.

"Every road in our borough was under water," said a police spokeswoman. "It's a real mess."

Along Hulton Road, Plum Creek devastated the Kirkpatrick Trailer Park.

"The creek overflowed and it looks like a tributary of the Mississippi," said Matt Doherty, who has lived in Plum for 14 years. " It was amazing to see this small creek and the fury it unleashed. It just flooded out this little trailer park. You could just see the sadness it was going to bring."

Washington County

	Robert J. Pavuchak, Post-Gazette The driver of this car abandoned the vehicle after floodwaters pinned it against a pole yesterday in the middle of Racetrack Road in Chartiers, Washington County. Click photo for larger image.

Evacuations were under way in Washington County last night, with emergency shelters opening at several locations including the high school and community center in Avella and both the Canton and Mt. Pleasant fire halls.

"There are road closures everywhere. There are mud slides. We have people stranded a whole bunch of different places. It is ugly," said Jeff Yates, county director of public safety. As he spoke, he was arranging to supply sandbags to Peters Township.

"Right now the northern part of the county is the worst, although the central part of the county is catching up."

The four-lane section of Route 18 outside Burgettstown was closed, with parts of Burgettstown and low-lying areas of Avella evacuated, Yates said, adding that flooding had not spared any part of the county.

The Monterey trailer park in Canton was under water, according to state police, and people had to be rescued by boat.

About 150 student remained stranded at the Burgettstown Junior-Senior High School, said Kelli Serencsa, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

"They're trapped because the roads are flooded," she said. "They can't get transportation out of there."

Red Cross teams were fanning out, gauging the damage and the need for cots, blankets and food.

At Washington and Jefferson College, three residence halls were evacuated after the buildings lost power, according to the campus security office.

Yates said caller after caller was telling him that whatever creek they lived near was higher than they had ever seen it.

Beaver County

Flooding also stranded hundreds of Beaver County residents who were trying to get into or out of Pittsburgh and almost prompted an evacuation order for people living below Hughes Lake Dam in Hanover, on Beaver County's border with West Virginia.

Significant flooding occurred along Big Sewickley Creek on the border of Allegheny and Beaver counties.

By 7 p.m., the brown, muddy waters of Big Sewickley were lapping the first floors of dozens of homes on Pine Street and Ambridge Avenue in Fair Oaks. The flooding also forced the closing of Route 65 in Fair Oaks around 1 p.m.

Kevin Joy, deputy director of the county's Emergency Services agency, said there were no injuries, but he said flooding was reported in every community and evacuations were occurring in mobile home parks and many homes along Connoquenessing and Little Beaver creeks.

Raccoon Creek and Reardon's Run also overflowed and basement flooding was reported in Monaca.

He said the American Red Cross had opened shelters in Aliquippa Elementary School and the Koppel fire station.

Hanover firefighter Jim Uranker said department officials earlier in the day had contemplated issuing an evacuation order for residents living below Hughes Lake Dam, at a paid fishing lake whose waters drain into King's Creek in Hancock County, W.Va.

"The water was 6 feet over the top of the dam and it was moving quite fast," he said. "There was a fear it might go out."

Westmoreland County

East of Allegheny County, the storm seems to have lost some of its punch.

Dan Steven's, Westmoreland's 911 coordinator, said 12 people reported to an emergency shelter in New Kensington, where the Allegheny River rose fast and flooded basements and first floors of houses.

Other evacuations, some via boat, were reported in Upper and Lower Burrell, Washington Township and West Tarentum.

Authorities reported one "physical rescue" of a person, on Loyalhanna Creek on the Ligonier Township/Derry Township line. A person was rescued from a car stranded on flooded Route 30.

Schools

Students, teachers, principals and bus drivers all had to stay after school as rains closed roads that would have carried them home.

"Time went slow," said Scott Schultz, a third-grader at South Fayette Elementary School, who was among about 180 pupils whose buses started home but were turned back by flooding along Millers Run and Thoms Run Road. The children spent the afternoon and evening watching the movie "Arthur," eating pizza and playing games until nearly 8 p.m., when buses finally got the go-ahead to take them home.

Students at many other districts also were trapped, among them: Pittsburgh, Shaler Area, Burgettstown Area, Canon-McMillan, Sto-Rox, Quaker Valley, North Hills and Chartiers Valley. In most cases, roads had cleared to the extent that buses -- and anxious parents -- could carry the children home by 9 p.m. In West Allegheny, however, children remained in some district buildings later than that.

In Pittsburgh Public Schools, high school students made it home before the heaviest flooding began, but traffic jams -- particularly on McKnight Road and surrounding areas -- delayed buses for many elementary and middle school children by an hour or more, said transportation director Ted Vasser.

At the Canon-McMillan School District in Washington County, the 350 students at Cecil Intermediate School and about 100 students at Muse Elementary got stuck, said Helen McCracken, assistant to the superintendent.

"We're logging everybody who's present in every school. We're calling their homes to let them know. Everyone is safe. We're pulling out some TVs and VCRs. In the worst case scenarios, both principals have the key to the kitchen," she said.

In many instances, including Sto-Rox, Quaker Valley and Shaler Area, many students boarded buses for home but had to turn back after drivers encountered flooding and downed trees.

In West Allegheny School District, teachers and other employees prepared dinners of soup and sandwiches for the several hundred students who remained there last night, spokeswoman Carol Bonnar said. The district posted a message on its web site at 7:30 p.m. that parents could pick up their children if they felt roads were safe, and that the district would try to bus them home if roads were safe.

But at 10 p.m., Bonnar said it would be necessary for some students to spend the night at McKee Elementary.

Utilities

About 45,000 Duquense Light customers in Allegheny and Beaver counties lost power, and additional outages today were possible.

It may take until late tonight before electricity is restored to most customers, and a few pockets might not have power return until early tomorrow, said spokesman John Laudenslager,

Trees falling on power lines was the main cause of the outages. The utility had prepared for likely power outages, holding over crews from yesterday's day shift.

Laudenslager said 170 employees were placed on 16-hour work shifts, followed by eight hours off.

"We don't know if we will reach out to other utilities [for help]," Laudenslager said. "Right now we're hoping the situation will stabilize."

The power loss yesterday was rapid. After the first outages were reported at 2 p.m., the number reached 9,000 by 2:30 p.m. By 5 p.m., the figure had risen to 35,000 and by 6 p.m., 45,000.

Outages also came quickly for customers of Allegheny Power, which serves many counties surrounding Allegheny and Beaver.

About 25,000 of the utility's customers lost electricity, with many of outages occurring between 4 and 6 p.m., said spokesman Guy Fletcher.

"It was strong storm, and it didn't move through the area particularly fast," he said. "We weren't going to send our crews out in the middle [of it]."

The outages were widely scattered, Fletcher added, with individual or pockets of customers losing power across Western Pennsylvania.

Among the hardest hit were Avella in Washington County, Worthington in Armstrong County, Irwin and Vandergrift in Westmoreland County, and Apollo, Armstrong County.

"This is a very regional storm," Fletcher said.

Pennsylvania-American Water is asking customers in Allegheny and Washington counties to limit all non-essential use of water because of flooding and loss of power at two of its plants. Drinking and flushing the toilet is OK, said company spokeswoman Nancy Sharp, but she asked customers not to use water for cleaning.

Highways and byways

	Lake Fong, Post-Gazette A disabled car sits into high water on McKnight Road near Siebert Road in Ross. Click photo for larger image.

First it was the flooding. Then came the landslides.

In Pittsburgh, Bigelow Boulevard was closed because of one landslide when a second one occurred, said city Public Works director Guy Costa.

"We have flooding everywhere," Costa said as he surveyed damage at 18th and Crossman streets in the South Side, where retaining walls had collapsed, sending back yards and decks of homes on Crossman down onto 18th Street.

Costa said Washington Boulevard, Noblestown Road and Second Avenue were among the major roadways that were closed last night.

Costa said Second Avenue was closed because traffic couldn't get over Mifflin Road as a result of flooding in Baldwin Road in Hays.

"I haven't seen anything like this since the flash floods of 1986," said Costa.

The 10th Street bypass was closed and commuters were moving their cars off the Mon Wharf, which was flooding. Traffic lights at the top of Brown's Hill were out, causing major traffic problems as motorists were forced to take turns or speed through he intersection.

Andy Kost, PennDOT assistant district executive for maintenance, said there were widespread closings of major and secondary roads throughout the county.

In the North Hills, so many roads were impassable that no one had a full accounting of them. McKnight Road in Ross was flooded, and cars spun crazily down its steep drop toward Babcock Boulevard. Police routed some cars through Ross Park Mall's parking lot.

In the South Hills, the intersection of Route 51 and Route 88 was flooded by Saw Mill Run Creek.

A slide on Route 51 in Stowe closed part of the road there.

Allegheny River Boulevard was closed due to flooding in Oakmont and a mudslide.

A mudslide on I-79 at the Mt. Nebo road interchange blocked traffic there. The Parkway East remained open during rush hour, but some ramps, such as the one to Edgewood, were closed. But last night, the Parkway was closed inbound between Edgewood and Oakland due to a landslide.

In Moon Township, Manager Greg Smith declared an emergency at 2:17 p.m..

"We had a number of landslides and evacuated four families from Broadhead Road, Flaugherty Run Road and Thorn Hollow Road," he said, adding that landslides also were reported on Boggs School Road and University Boulevard.

Beth Butler, a volunteer for Elizabeth Borough, said flooding wasn't bad there last night, but reports from nearby Jefferson Hills were serious.

"Peters Creek flooded, affecting Gill Hall Road and Route 51," Butler said.

Jefferson police said Gill Hall Road and a portion of Route 51 remained closed last night.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike was closed in both directions about 8 p.m. between the Butler Valley and Allegheny Valley interchanges. Traveling westbound, the right lane of the turnpike was closed between Allegheny Valley and Monroeville because of a slide, state police said.

Mass transit

	Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette A Port Authority employee talks with the driver of a Port Authority bus stalled in high water on Nichol Avenue yesterday afternoon in Stowe. Click photo for larger image.

The blocked roads and congestion turned the Port Authority's service into the type of chaotic conditions normally seen only during severe snowstorms.

"Basically, we have no schedule. The schedule's completely out the window," Port Authority spokeswoman Judi McNeil said during the afternoon rush hour.

Flood waters turned some key routes impassable. Fallen trees blocked other roads. A landslide poured onto the East Busway. T service on the Library line was interrupted. Streets without obstacles filled with detoured traffic.

Bus drivers scheduled for the evening shift couldn't reach the Port Authority terminals, in many cases. That forced overtime for earlier drivers, whom McNeil said were told to forget the normal layovers between runs. They used instincts to navigate neighborhoods, as most routes contained some kind of diversion or tie-up.

"We're operating on the same plan as on Sept. 11, where the plan is to get people out of the city," McNeil said.

During the rush hour, buses found themselves blocked trying to exit Route 28 to Millvale, Etna and Sharpsburg, or driving along McKnight Road and Babcock Boulevard in the north, Idlewood Road in the west, and Route 51, Cedar Boulevard and Becks Run Road in the south, among other routes.

The West busway temporarily closed from Idlewood Road to Carnegie, until crews removed a fallen tree. Shuttle buses were scrambled to assist passengers riding the Library line of the T, closed due to high water between Washington Junction and Library.

Also about 60 cars were flooded at the Port Authority's Park and Ride lot at the end of the Library T line in South Park.

Butler County

Shortly before 5 p.m. yesterday, Butler County commissioners declared a disaster emergency after dozens of low-lying roads around the county were flooded by the heavy rains.

As many as 200 people from the Renfrew area of Penn and Butler townships were expected to spend the night at a Red Cross shelter set up in Connoquenessing Elementary School on Route 68. Residents fled after flood waters from the Connoquenessing Creek surged over its banks near their homes.

Cranberry police warned motorists that they should use caution even when using major connector streets like Freedom Road. Wetlands near the corner of Freedom Road and Commonwealth Drive had flowed halfway across the four lanes on Commonwealth, leaving less than a single lane in each direction.

In addition to setting up the shelter at Connoquenessing Elementary, the Red Cross offered emergency accommodations and food at South Butler Elementary on Knoch Road in Jefferson Township.

About 20 school children who had been unable to get home because of flooded roads spent several hours at the South Butler shelter but were able to leave by 8 p.m. Red Cross officials were advised to prepare for about eight families there.

Reports of flooding, high water and closed roads were coming in from all over the southeast corner of the county with Middlesex, Clinton, Buffalo, Winfield and Jefferson all affected.

West Virginia

	Jeff Gentner, The Herald-Dispatch via AP Brent Williams, left, and Steve Bititoe of the Cabell County Emergency Medical Services escort Barbara Atkins of Huntington, West Virginia, across flooded Donald Avenue in the Enslow Park section of Huntington. Several residents of the neighborhood evacuated their homes after nearby Fourpole Creek overflowed its banks. Click photo for larger image.

Between 3,000 and 4,000 people were forced from homes near New Cumberland in Hancock County after authorities learned that those homes were in the path of water that threatened to spill from an overtaxed dam in Pennsylvania.

Water from the Hughes Lake dam in Hanover, Beaver County, flows into streams that meander into West Virginia along Hardin's Run Road, which between Route 18 in Beaver County to New Cumberland.

"We had people calling in and asking about the dam, so we called [Beaver County] and they said we might have a big problem," said Hancock County Emergency Management spokeswoman Sharon Ulbright.

The dam was holding last night, but authorities still evacuated homes outside Weirton and New Cumberland and opened a shelter in Weirton's Millsop Center. Numerous roads also were closed by high water or mud slides, a problem that was echoed in neighboring Brooke County.

Hundreds of homes were evacuated in and around Wheeling after big Wheeling Creek flooded from Elm Grove on the east side of town to the Ohio River on the other, Assistant City Manager Rita Coyne said. Pupils also were trapped for a time in Middle Creek School and numerous people were rescued from flooded vehicles and homes, she said.