Marietta residents cautiously watched the Susquehanna River on Friday while others started tackling the muddy mess left by a four-day storm that dumped 8 to 15 inches of rain here.

The Conestoga River, creeks and streams began receding Thursday as the rain tapered off.

The Susquehanna River also receded a little early Friday, creating some careful optimism in Marietta, but it was expected to surge again early Saturday.

Many county roads reopened Friday, some schools held classes and firefighters turned their attention from rescuing people to pumping basements.

As President Barack Obama declared the state a disaster area, municipal officials were beginning to assess the damages to bridges and roads in what officials believe will be "tens of millions of dollars" of destruction.

In response to Obama's declaration, Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Randy Gockley said he was asking municipal emergency-management coordinators to compile a list of addresses of homes, apartments and businesses that incurred major losses or were destroyed.

"A major loss in the eyes of the federal government is that the home or apartment is not habitable," Gockley said. "A home that had a flooded basement but is still livable is considered minor damage in the eyes of the federal government."

Municipalities likely will qualify for government aid. Homeowners might qualify for low-interest government loans.

"I think, when we look at the damages that have been done and the number of people impacted, it will be remembered as second only to Agnes," Gockley said, referring to that historic 1972 storm that killed 10 people here and did $30 million in damage.

He is asking residents to be patient as details of the disaster relief are worked out.

Two people were killed in this week's storm and another was presumed dead here.

An 8-year-old boy, Kole Trupe of Stevens, was swept underwater Thursday as he played in the storm runoff in a friend's backyard.

Diane Barron, 62, of Lebanon, was killed early Thursday when her car was engulfed in water on Route 322 near Pumping Station Road in Elizabeth Township.

Also, a Manheim man was swept away as he tried to walk through water just off White Oak Road near the border of Rapho and Penn townships. His body had not been recovered as of Friday night.

Many people were caught in the flash floods that resulted from Wednesday's heavy downpours, which greatly damaged the northwestern section of the county.

Friday, people along the Susquehanna River waited for the storm's more gradual effects, as water from the storm flowed downstream.

The river was expected to rise twice in Marietta. It crested Thursday night at 58.16 feet, receded slightly Friday and is predicted to rise to about the same level, 56.9 feet, Saturday morning.

River forecasters earlier expected the Susquehanna to crest there at more than 62 feet.

The crest is 6 feet below Agnes' highest point, which is significant, said Millersville University meteorologist Eric Horst, noting that could mean the difference between two stories in a house.

Still, it is one of the highest crests on record.

About 35 residents of three streets, where the water had reached the first story of some homes, gathered at a shelter at Donegal Middle School after being ordered to evacuate Thursday.

Some came into town early Friday and marked the level of the river by placing water bottles on streets to check its height, celebrating as it slowly receded.

In Washington Boro, a town south of Marietta along the Susquehanna, officials also opened a shelter Friday in Manor Church on Central Manor Road.

Most homes in that area sit high enough that they will not be engulfed by water, as in Marietta, but they could get water in their basements or become inaccessible, Gockley said.

Between Marietta and Washington Boro, Columbia was assessing the impact of the rising waters on its wastewater plant and was asking residents to boil water.

The Conestoga River crested at 21.3 feet Thursday, the second-highest level on record, behind only Agnes. It had dropped below flood stage at midday Friday but is expected to rise several feet Saturday before receding once again.

People had to evacuate homes on Almanac Avenue and Broad Street in Lancaster. About 30 temporarily went to a shelter at St. James Episcopal Church.

Along the Conestoga River in Lancaster Township, officials were removing barricades and reopening roads Friday. They also were examining roads and bridges to see what repairs needed to be done, said William Laudien, township manager.

Roads were cracked and their edges damaged in many areas. Crews also were removing muck and debris from roads, Laudien said.

The township could not have gotten through the storm without the efforts of firefighters, many of whom were up for two days as they rescued people and helped them deal with the storm, Laudien said.

"If any group of people are the real heroes and kept the county safe, it was the volunteer fire companies," he said. "The water-rescue teams — somebody needs to buy those guys a beer."

Some of those firefighters took vacation days from work or went without a day's pay to help, Gockley said.

"The career people, the police and the firefighters in the city — it was totally a team effort," he said.

As municipal officials assessed the damages, residents carried out soggy belongings and began to add up the storm's toll on their homes and businesses.

Many faced damp homes that reeked of escaped heating oil from flooded-out basement furnaces.

The county's hazardous-materials team was putting booms in some areas to contain the oil and limit its damage on the environment.

Emergency officials are urging residents who have water in their basements to be patient.

In many cases, the ground surrounding a basement is so saturated that a basement will quickly refill if it is pumped out, Gockley said.

Or, if the basement is pumped out, the pressure from the saturated ground might collapse its walls.

"You have to trust the judgment of emergency responders," he said, noting that homeowners may have to wait until it is safe and efficient to do the job.

The county examined its bridges and the roads leading to them to assess damages and ensure they were safe for travel, said Scott Martin, county commissioner.

Officials also kept an eye on sewage treatment plants.

In the city, officials installed a large bypass pump on a Broad Street station that was underwater so it could continue to pump wastewater to its wastewater plant.

The city was able to maintain clean drinking water supplies thanks to new membrane filtration equipment, said Charlotte Katzenmoyer, public works director.

Overall, the county's municipalities will have to show a total of $1.8 million in storm damages to qualify for federal disaster aid, which Gockley said will happen.

The federal government will fund 75 percent of the repairs for that infrastructure damage; municipalities will have to fund the other 25 percent.

Homeowners also will be able to apply for low-interest government loans in many cases, he said.

While the worst of the storm has passed, life was anything but routine for many communities Friday.

The Denver Fair, set to take place next week, was canceled.

The Lancaster YMCA triathlon, slated for Saturday at Speedwell Forge Lake, also was canceled.

Several Friday night high school football games also were postponed.

After some showers this weekend, Monday and Tuesday will be a marked improvement, Horst said.

The forecast is for sunshine and highs in the low 80s.

VIDEO: AccuWeather Forecast

cstauffer@lnpnews.com