Laurel and other Pennsylvania gals...

ammebarb · 09-10-2011, 06:33 PM

Recent flooding has been pretty horrific in many parts of Pennsylvania. Are you ok?

Becky · 09-11-2011, 07:47 AM

I am on the border of PA and NJ on the NJ side of the Delaware River. For Irene, we lost power for 4 days but had a small generator that assisted us in keeping the basement from flooding (sump pump and other pumps). Again, we lost power yesterday but just got it back. Many river people (we are 1 mile away from the river) are under water. In northern NJ, the Rahway and Passaic Rivers have caused massive devastation as the population is higher up there. I have many friends and acquaintances in deep trouble there. I hope everyone is safe on this board that might be affected.

ammebarb · 09-11-2011, 12:59 PM

Hi Becky. I'm glad to hear you are ok, despite some inconvenience with the loss of electricity. We are also fine, but there has been a lot of loss in out area. We are located in north central Pennsylvania where rains from Lee pounded us for days. I live in a very small rural village, with no river, but a creek that became a raging torrent. A number of buildings were swept away. A few were summer cottages, but the tally included at least two full time homes. There are only about four major highways through the county---all were badly affected, with buckling and broken asphalt lying in chunks on deeply gouged highway beds. Bridges are gone or so badly undermined that they are dangerous and therefore, closed. For a while we were essentially "cut off" but some temporary runarounds and some all night work on a local bridge has given us a chance at getting to medical care, gasoline, food, etc. We took my daughter on a very long, circuitous route to the hospital where she works, so that she knows how to get there tomorrow. It's normally about a 40 minute drive. It took us two hours.

On a better note----she was married yesterday in a lovely civil ceremony in our little village. A local mayor filled in for the district magistrate who was stranded in Harrisburg. Her brother brought her flowers from a shop about twenty miles away (from a town that had been flooded)! Her sister in law did her hair and I did her nails. Dear friends decorated their beautiful barn to give a lovely backdrop for the ceremony, when the covered bridge that was supposed to be the wedding site was hit by a floating cabin and the road was flooded and closed. We had a meal at our home, by way of celebration. The reception will take place at a later time. It was heartwarming to see love finding a way!

Hope any other of our HER2 family who were affected are safe and finding help and comfort.

Soccermom · 09-11-2011, 02:32 PM

Oh Ammebarb it sounds like love found a way for sure! Make you bask in the memory of today for a very long time and may your newlyweds enjoy many many years of joy and peace.

Marcia

Laurel · 09-11-2011, 06:43 PM

Ammebarb,

You daughter's wedding sounds heavenly! Are you up in Sully (Sullivan County)? I know Sully was hit really hard and they have all those wonderful covered bridges! I am trying to find out if any were taken out. We lost our bridge in Agnes in "72. Until then Hershey had a nice, old bridge across the Swattie (Swatara Creek). As bad as the flooding was in Agnes, the worse in history, Hershey actually had record high water this go 'round. Lee just thundered over our heads for hours on Wednesday and by afternoon we had hideous flash flooding. I have long been fond of smugly quipping, "It would take rains of biblical proportions to flood my house." You see, I live on a hill. I was wrong however, or maybe those were "rains of biblical proportions," felt like it anyway! We had water seeping in the old stone walls in the basement and then it erupted out of the floor drain like bubbling crude (are you hearing the theme song of the Beverly Hillbillies?). My son jumped in his car to go back to my Dad's for his pump while I made like the boy in the dike with a tub of caulk shoved into the drain hole. It slowed the bubbling to a seep, but by the time Caleb called to say he could not get back home because the stream was over the road, a mere 15 mins, it was 5" deep. I flew down the road in an old pick up to the neighbor in the opposite direction and begged a pump from him. We threw in the pump from the koi pond and held our breaths. The neighbor arrived with yet another pump a few minutes later and that seemed to stem the water's rise. Fortunately, we did not loose any mechanicals down there or our freezer. Our winter boots are toast, but all in all I think that is small potatoes.

Like you, Ammebarb, we have lost bridges, opened sinkholes, and washed out road beds. How long it will take to fully get back up to speed remains to be seen, but I must say they are pretty responsive. My parents were without electricity until yesterday, but fortunately they have an automatic generator.

Becky, I know Jersey was really whacked with Irene. Are things beginning to come along there yet?

ammebarb · 09-12-2011, 01:24 PM

Oh Laurel, I thought you were near Hershey and probably had seen some awful flooding too. Yes, I am in Sullivan County. Our seasonal neighbor across the alley is from down your way and brought a newspaper with some pics. Simply horrendous!

I'm sorry your basement took on water, but very glad to hear that you didn't lose anything valuable. Thank goodness for good neighbors with pumps!

Hope we have seen the last of torrential rain for a very good long while!

Laurel · 09-12-2011, 06:02 PM

Ammebarb,

Did you lose any covered bridges? Is the one in Forksville ok? We have land and a small cabin north of Unityville off of rt 239. Our neighbor up there, who runs with the fire company, says Sully was hit hard. I got an email from Katie's Country Store. They are down in the hollow along a creek off of rt 220. She won't be open for awhile. Dang, I love that little store. Where are you in Sully?

I'd like to get up there this weekend, but we have tickets to the Phillies game on Sunday. I'll have to trek up the sometime thereafter.

Did you go see Aaron Kelly at the fair?

ammebarb · 09-13-2011, 05:50 AM

The covered bridges in Forksville and Hillsgrove are still standing, but saw some damage. I don't know about the one at Sonestown. Many highway routes are closed, so we have traveled only as we've had to.

I live in the small village of Hillsgrove, just off of Rt. 87. When you are coming to your cabin, perhaps we could get together. Could meet for coffee or would be pleased to have you visit at my home.

I hope your property near Unityville is ok!

Barb A

Laurel · 09-13-2011, 07:12 PM

Barb,

I haven't heard that the cabin was violated and the neighbors check it regularly, so I am supposing all is well. I won't get up there this weekend, but will plan on the following one. I'll PM you to confirm early next week. Would you like to meet in Eagles Mere at the little eatery there on the square, or do you know of another place that serves a decent cuppa of joe? I do not mind popping over to Hillsgrove, but do not want to put you out in any way. Meeting somewhere means no one has to wash a dish! Ha! Only women think that way!

I hope the bridge in Sonestown is ok. I didn't think of that one. Sonestown isn't far from me. Our neighbor down here is also our neighbor up in Sully. He is going up this weekend to check out the damage up your way. Woody chirps like a magpie, so I know I'll get all the dirt as soon as he gets back home. You folks got rain again 2 nights ago, I think. We have been dry since Friday. I think they are calling for thunderstorms tomorrow and rain on Thursday. We need rain like a hole-in-the-head! Let's send it to Brenda in Texas!

Laurel