PICTURE ROCKS - Bill Dorman and his fellow residents were stranded during the flooding caused by Hurricane Agnes.
The roads surrounding the borough were closed off, so people could not easily enter or leave.
Dorman did not have much warning that a flood was coming, but when he saw the water rising in Muncy Creek, he knew "it was time to get concerned," he said.
Dorman had never been in a flood before 1972 and did not know where the water would go. His house sat on an incline. The water passed between his house and his garage, which was about 35 feet away, taking with it a woodpile. He had 27 inches of surface water in his basement.
"I didn't have a sump pump," he said. "I didn't know what it was."
After Hurricane Agnes, he learned what a sump pump was.
He was able to stay in his house, but other people had more damages. Firefighters were busy at the time pumping out people's basements. No one was housed in the fire company then.
For several days, the rain continued to fall. At times it would stop, only to start again just as hard.
"In flooding, you feel so helpless," Dorman said. "There's not a lot you can do. You think about getting stuff out you want to save and hope for the best. You're hoping and praying the rain would stop."
