FORTY FORT -- Gov. Tom Corbett today toured communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania that were affected by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Irene one year ago, reviewing recovery efforts and talking with residents.

â??Last yearâ??s storms brought hardship, but Pennsylvanians rose to the challenge, Corbett said. â??Our state and local police, emergency personnel, and county and local governments acted quickly to lessen injury and the loss of life, while protecting property. Our state witnessed the genuine acts of heroism that always accompany any emergency in our commonwealth.

Accompanied by Glenn Cannon, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, Corbett traveled through areas devastated by flood waters in 2011, stopping in Columbia and Luzerne counties.

Corbett visited the Autoneum North American Company, adjacent to the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds, and talked with business leaders and Columbia County officials about flood damage. The business and fairgrounds were flooded during the storms.

In Luzerne County, he walked along the levee at Forty Fort, talking with the county emergency workers. As the flood waters rose on the night of Sept. 8, 2011, the levee had to be shored up in the middle of the night and more than 75,000 residents were evacuated as a precaution.

In nearby West Pittston, Corbett spoke with members of the Pennsylvania National Guard who helped in the rescue effort last year, as well as residents of the town as he walked along the Susquehanna River, near the Water Street Bridge.

Hurricane Irene, in August 2011, and Tropical Storm Lee, September to October 2011, impacted 44 of Pennsylvaniaâ??s 67 counties. Flood waters from the excessive rain resulted in 15 deaths, thousands of destroyed and damaged homes, and numerous water rescues.

To see the complete story and pictures, see Saturday's edition of The Times Leader.