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Pocono News Section
Wyoming County Hard Hit by January Flood
Wyoming County Hard Hit by January Flood - Monday, January 25, 2010 at 10:50PM EST
Reported by: Eric Deabill
Monday, Jan 25, 2010 @ 10:50pm EST
MEHOOPANY TOWNSHIP, WYOMING COUNTY - Parts of Wyoming County were hard hit in the January flood. The most damage Eyewitness News found was in the Forkston and Mehoopany Township areas.
Parts of roads were washed away by fast and furious waters while many bridges in the Route 87 were closed to drivers.
More than two inches of rain fell early Monday morning and that caused Mehoopany Creek to rise fast without warning for many homeowners.
Wyoming County commissioners declared a Disaster Emergency Declaration Monday afternoon. That means the county will able to apply for money to make any repairs from the federal government.
For Mark Kruzlik, all he could do was stand and watch the water surround his mobile home on Route 87. He was hoping and praying the raging waters would take his life's work away.
"I had a beautiful shed back there. The water took it away, broke it up and took a boat down. We're on high ground here. I have no cellar in the trailer, thank God, otherwise I'd be flooded right out," Kruzlik said.
Kruzlik, like others, couldn't believe all the damage that the heavy rains caused.
"It was never this bad in 2006 or 1996. This is the worst. There's no place for the water to run," Kruzlik said.
Part of Route 87 buckled due to the force of raging waters from Tommy Creek. Only about half of the road was passable.
Tami Powers has lived in Mehoopany Township for nine years. She's says she's seen floods like this, but not this bad.
"I'm gonna have to say this is five times worse than before," Powers said. "I haven't seen it (the water) this high before."
Yards and basements were flooded all over the area. Eyewitness News could not even get into the village of Forkston because the bridge along Route 87 was covered in water, tree branches and even a propane container.
"You can here it inside the house. There's no peace and quiet. You can hear it roaring inside the house," Doborah Shaw said.
"Its been crazy. The water is all over. The debris is all over the roads. I'm just watching junk flow down the creek," Wendy Dunlap of Mehoopany Township said.
Many of the bridges over Route 87 will remain closed for the night. PennDOT Engineers want to make sure they are structurally sound. | | |
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