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Pittsburgh landmarks like the Andy Warhol Museum, Heinz Field and Heinz Hall could all be affected by the type of flood city officials expect this weekend.

Because forecasters predict 14 feet of floodwater could arrive at the Golden Triangle by Saturday night, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl declared a preemptive state of emergency Wednesday.

"We want to be proactive and (the declaration) allows us to do that," Ravenstahl told City Council. "There's nothing you can do to stop the water. ... But you can prepare in advance for ways to prevent any serious damage to life, first and foremost, and then property."

The declaration allows city leaders to sign no-bid contracts, apply for state and federal aid and suspend some city ordinances. Allegheny County will likely make its own emergency declaration today, said Allegheny County spokesman Kevin Evanto.

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for the region from tonight through Sunday. Rain is expected to start tonight, and could be heaviest Friday night and early Saturday, meteorologist Rodney Smith said. The weather service is expecting about 2 inches total. Flooding is possible because another 4 to 6 inches of water is already streaming into the region's waterways from melting snow. Forecasters predicted the flooding won't be as bad as in 1996 when the Ohio River at Point State Park reached 34.6 feet but it could reach levels similar to 2004 when the river peaked at 31 feet after Hurricane Ivan.

"With the snowmelt saturating the ground, it's not going to take a whole lot of rain," Smith said.

Flooding will likely start in creeks and streams by Friday, then move into the rivers heading Downtown by late Saturday, Smith said. Creeks in suburban watersheds such as Pine and Chartiers aren't as vulnerable as the rural creeks are, officials said. Most of the water is coming from the mountains, meaning tributaries south and east of Pittsburgh, like Jacobs Creek, the Kiskiminetas River and Loyalhanna Creek, will be the first to flood.

But many Downtown companies and buildings have activated their flood plans, lining up contractors to bring in pumps, put up sandbags and wash away the coat of river silt floods leave behind. The rivers would have to rise beyond 32 feet to reach many buildings. But a flood anywhere close to that could cause sewers to back up and flood basements. Warhol Director Tom Sokolowski said the museum suffered about $800,000 of damage that way in January 1996.

Heinz Field is surrounded by higher ground, but its playing field is about 10 feet below ground level. If the sewers back up, the stadium's draining system would fail, possibly ruining the sod, said Mary Conturo, executive director of the Sports & Exhibition Authority. No one can predict how high the rivers would need to be for that to happen, said Tom Ryser, project manager at the authority.

The city's goal is to give 12 to 24 hours notice of a flood, Ravenstahl said. City officials will prepare shelters and coordinate emergency services with county officials and other government agencies.

"I know people I've talked to just casually are surprised to hear that a flood is coming and don't believe it," he said. "Depending on how significant the rainfall is, it could get really bad in some areas."

This is the second state of emergency declared by Ravenstahl in the last month. Ravenstahl declared one Feb. 6 when the largest snowstorm in the last 17 years dumped 21 inches on the city.

Ravenstahl said he doesn't believe Saturday's St. Patrick's Day parade will be canceled.

"I'm pretty certain the Irish community will find their way through the streets of Downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday," he said. "Let's hope that they can because if not it would be a significant, significant issue we'll need to deal with."

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