Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro visits Berks County as communities reel from flooding

Jul. 10—As Gov. Josh Shapiro walked Monday along a Lower Alsace Township street littered with chunks of macadam, concrete and other debris, a resident waved at him and a contingent of state and county elected officials and local police.

"Thank you for coming!" the woman said, standing in front of her home on Exeter Road.

She and her neighbors were still marooned Monday afternoon by floodwaters and debris carried downstream and deposited as the torrent crossed Carsonia Avenue.

The swollen creek didn't need to carve a path through the road because a gap already existed. Carsonia has been barricaded near Antietam High School as part of a PennDOT bridge replacement project.

But the destruction above and downstream from Carsonia as a result of Sunday's flash flooding was unmistakable. In the first block of Marshall Avenue, which runs parallel to Carsonia and intersects Antietam Road, cars and SUVs were squished together against the one curb as if someone had picked up the street and tilted it.

Half a block farther downstream, debris formed a dam that veered the creek off course along both banks. A shallow stream rolled steadily along the front of the secondary school before reuniting to the main channel.

Shapiro walked the neighborhood alongside Antietam School District officials including district Superintendent Dr. Heidi Rochlin. Among the group touring the devastation at the school and in it were Pennsylvania Emergency Management Director Randy Padfield, Berks County Commissioners Michael Rivera and Christian Leinbach, state Sen. Judy Schwank and state Rep. Mark Rozzi.

The walking tour continued through a dark corridors of the school, 90% of which was flooded — taking on 2 feet of water in the lowest levels, breaching the boiler room and taking out critical facilities.

District Facilities Supervisor Ken Bonkoski gave a grim initial assessment to the governor on the prospects of getting the school ready for students in six weeks, if ever.

Devastation widespread

The community was just one of several areas of devastation in Berks following a Sunday afternoon deluge that dumped 5 to 8 inches of rain within three hours in some places, overwhelming streams.

Instruments at Reading Regional Airport, the county's official rainfall-recording station, measured 5.35 inches. That topped the former record of 5.32 inches set in 2004. The record period stretches to 1869.

Just to the west, a staggering 7.35 inches was recorded by a gauge at the Penn State Berks campus.

In northern Berks, floodwaters from Willow Creek left inches of mud and uprooted vegetation strewn within the bleachers of Fleetwood Community Park's newly dedicated bandshell. The smaller of two pedestrian bridges over the creek was ripped from its abutments, but the larger one — which was replaced after a similar storm about four years ago — survived because it was more elevated than the old one, Borough Manager Chris Young said.

Young said the rain gauge at Fleetwood's wastewater treatment plan measured 7.7 inches Sunday, all over 2 1/2 hours.

"The park is a mess, but the infrastructure is intact," Young said.

A contractor was clearing the debris while borough workers tended to the treatment plant.

With a carnival at the park next week, the borough intends to put out a call via social media for volunteers to participate in a cleanup detail at the park later in the week.

The same creek deluged the Maidencreek Community Park, where heavy equipment was being deployed Monday morning.

Water rolled downhill from that park with such force after Sunday's deluge that it carried a sizable backyard shed — with a lawn tractor inside — across Hoch Road near South View Road and deposited on the edge of a cornfield.

'Like a river'

The same torrent deluged backyards and infiltrated homes and basements along the 100 block of South View, displacing several families.

Stef Boyer said water in her basement rose to the top rung of the steps after the basement window in the back of the home gave out. She called 911 and turned off the electrical box.

Blandon Fire Company, which like many fire companies was responding to dozens of emergency pumping requests, pumped out her basement late Sunday.

With no electricity, Boyer and her family spent the night at a friend's house.

When they returned Thursday morning they found 5 feet of water in the basement.

A crew consisting of family and friends were helping out. The fire company also lent them a sump pump.

"In the 18 years we lived here, I've never seen anything like this," Boyer said. "It was like a river running through."

It was a helpless feeling, said Boyer.

"There's nothing you can do," she said. "You just watch it happen."

Residents of one of the neighboring homes suffered worse property damage. Floodwaters coursing through the backyard breached a wall of the foundation of the home of Richard and Patricia Demming.

"We weren't home. We were picking up our daughter in Allentown," Patricia said. "A neighbor called and said 'It's really bad.' "

The Demmings, who had the house built 32 years ago, were anxiously awaiting an insurance company representative before deciding what to do next.

An emotional Patricia feared the worst.

"We've lived here our whole lives," she said.

Red Cross assists

The Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter of the American Red Cross assisted people displaced form their homes, operating an emergency shelter at Glenside Elementary School in Reading. Volunteers are providing food, relief supplies and comfort.

Among those seeking aid were residents evacuated from the Jamestown Village Apartments on Sunday night. Officials said Monday that more than 50 people received assistance.

'Back on its feet'

Speaking outside Antietam High, the governor assured those impacted that they are not alone.

Shapiro lamented that flood-mitigation efforts completed a few years ago with the help of funding secured by local lawmakers were wiped out in a matter of minutes.

"The thing I want this community to know is we're going to stay together," he said. "We're going to rebuild and we're going to make sure our kids have a great school to go to this fall.

"We're going to make sure our homeowners get taken care of and make sure our community gets back on its feet."

Shapiro said it was premature for him to discuss the fate of the school. The fate of several hundred students in grades 7 through 12 hangs in the balance.

He said his administration would support the district with whatever plan makes the most sense, adding, "We're going to be here in this community for as long as it takes."

Those impacted by the flood damage should know they can help by getting a complete assessment of damage and reporting that information to municipal officials, Shapiro said.

"The reason why this is so important is if we get to a certain threshold of damage we can possibly draw down federal funding," he said.

To that end, the Berks County Department of Emergency Services provided public notice late Sunday to those impacted by the flooding. It read in part:

"Individuals who suffered damage to residences or businesses from today's storms should notify their local government office tomorrow (Monday) so that the damage can be assessed by local authorities.

"Please be patient. While the storms were countywide, damage is very concentrated in some specific communities, and they have a large task ahead of them. They may collect information by telephone or may want to put eyes on your damage."

Only damage to occupied structures should be reported, not sheds and vehicles.