Valley residents brace for effects

Some areas could see as much as 4 or 5 inches of rain, one forecaster said.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
As Isabel bears down on the East Coast, some Mahoning Valley residents are preparing for the worst.
"We've had a run on generators for the past two days," said Jim Gallicchio, an assistant manager at The Home Depot on state Route 46 in Niles. "We shipped a lot of our stock to Virginia, but a lot of people are driving in to find them, too."
Gallicchio said customers have driven into Ohio from the coastal regions in recent days looking for generators, sump pumps and dehumidifiers -- items that have already sold out in areas such as Virginia and the Carolinas.
"We are braced for the worst, here," he said. "We have plenty of sump pumps on hand here, in Boardman and in Streetsboro, should we need them."
Built up supply
Lowe's Home Improvement in Boardman is also ready.
"I've talked with people who are concerned that the flooding we had this summer will happen again," said Rich Fubio, store manager. "We've bulked up our inventory. We are trying to keep on hand the products people need to rebuild."
After flooding in July and August, Fubio said his store built up its supply of sump pumps, dehumidifiers and wet/dry vacs.
"Our distribution centers have built up a pretty good supply too, in case of emergency situations," he added.
Isabel is expected to hit the Mahoning and Shenango valleys later tonight, bringing lots of rain and plenty of high wind gusts, said Frank Marzullo, weather forecaster for WFMJ Channel 21.
"A flood watch was issued this morning for the area," he said, noting that a watch means conditions are right for flooding. A lack of enough warm, dry days in the area since the last round of floods have left the ground saturated and ripe for more flooding.
What to expect
Wind gusts from 35 mph to 45 mph can be expected, though the winds won't last as long as the rain.
"The safe bet is that we will get between 21/2 and 31/2 inches of rain, though it won't be unheard of to see 4 or 5 inches in certain spots," Marzullo said.
The rain should begin around midnight, and continue through 11 p.m. Friday, he said.
"Of course, if Isabel goes 50 miles off track in any direction, everything could change," he noted.
Heavier rainfalls are expected in Lawrence and Mercer counties.
So far in August, Marzullo said, rainfall amounts are in the normal range, though since January, the Mahoning Valley's seen 34.01 inches of rain; that's 6.07 inches above normal.
slshaulis@vindy.com