This November 1926 storm that hit Central Pennsylvania caused flood and wind damage in the Lykens Valley. The locations and quick response to restore transportation, electricity and telephone service, were noted in this November 18, 1926, article from the Elizabethville Echo:
STORM DOES MUCH DAMAGE
TELEPHONE, ELECTRIC SERVICE INTERRUPTED
WASHOUTS WHEN CREEK REACHES FLOOD STAGE
The heavy rain storm, accompanied by driving winds that swept Central Pennsylvania, Monday and Tuesday of this week, done much damage in this section.
Creeks and small streams were swollen to the flood stage and in many cases threatened to carry bridges from their foundations.
At Greenfields, near Williamstown the Wiconisco Creek flooded the flats near that town, and the woter rose to the level of the floor of the East Penn Electric distributing station. At several places the water caused washouts along the Reading Railroad lines and although early morning rains ran on schedule between Tremont and Lykens, the water which later flooded the trucks held up train service until Wednesday evening. Work crews were called to repair the tracks and fill in the washouts between Lykens and Williamstown before service was resumed, the first train for two days coming into Lykens Wednesday night.
North of Elizabethville the Wiconisco Creek came within three feet of the floor of the concrete bridge and undoubtedly might have flooded the road and old bridge which the new structure replaced several years ago. At Shiffer’s Mill, near Rife, the swollen waters rose to a level that threatened to cover the road approach at either end of the covered wooden bridge.
More than thirty lines of the Wiconisco Telephone Company in this valley were out of order Monday because of the high winds that blew down poles and wires, and also disrupted electric power lines. The elecrric linemen were called out on duty Sunday night to patrol the lines and they made several repairs to broken lines throughout the night and the following day.
A pole, parially rotten, threatened to be town down by the wind, but this danger was averted by the erection the following day by a new pole near the borough park, east of town. Factories were forced into idleness for several hours Monday morning when a transformer near C. E. Deibler‘s store burned out. Driving winds had blown water into the inner casing which caused a short circuit. Electric service was resumed after the installation of a new transformer. As far as can be ascertained no serious damage was done in this section.
___________________________________________
News article Newspapers.com
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.