JENNIFER GRZESKOWIAK

After the floodwaters receded in the Northeast following a string of severe summer storms, residents and businesses were left with piles of debris.

Pennsylvania, where Gov. Edward Rendell declared a disaster emergency in 46 counties and residents in some areas were evacuated, began waiving state fees charged to landfill operators as well as registration requirements for vehicles hauling flood debris to landfills. The Department of Environmental Protection also gave the six regional offices authority to let landfills extend their normal operating hours and increase volume limits.

Above, workers in Yardley, Penn., haul away debris from a house along Route 32, where overflowing rivers shut down roads and damaged homes.