Ice jam threatens flooding in northwest Pa.
OIL CITY, Pa. (AP) — An ice jam along a creek in northwestern Pennsylvania is threatening to flood homes and a small-town business district.
KDKA reports about 70 people have been evacuated in Venango County, where the jam formed at the junction of Oil Creek and the Allegheny River.
Police in Oil City closed a street downtown Friday night as rising water threatened the North Side business district. The newspaper reports some basements were flooded and city drains were backed up.
The problem began after thick ice cover on Oil Creek broke up Friday afternoon and moved downstream. The chunks began backing up after hitting solid ice on the Allegheny River.
Oil City is about 70 miles north of Pittsburgh.