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Governor Tom Corbett on assistance available to those affected by flood waters in Pennsylvania
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Disaster Recovery Centers Now Open
As Pennsylvanians rebuild from the recent flooding disaster, seven Disaster Recovery Centers have opened in some of the hardest hit areas of the state. “We are going to have our agencies right in there in these centers, to use it as one-stop shopping as much as we can,” Governor Tom Corbett explained on Radio PA’s monthly Ask the Governor program.
15-state agencies will be working alongside FEMA Individual Assistance Specialists at the DRCs. “People can go in and say I lost my driver’s license, I need assistance, I need to sign up, or whatever,” Corbett says. “Under federal regulation, an individual can get up to $30,200, because of this storm, if they have the damage.” Documentation of that damage is critical. “If people are listening to this, and they have damage, and they haven’t taken photographs, take the photographs,” Corbett recommends.
The Susquehanna River overtook parts of Bloomsburg, Columbia County. Now, area residents can visit a Disaster Recovery Center at the Columbia County Agricultural Center on Sawmill Rd.
The governor says the federal government has been responsive in the wake of Tropical Storm Lee. “I was in Shanksville with the President when he came in on Sunday,” Corbett explains, “We talked to him, I talked to his chief of staff, and was assured that we’d get the assistance as soon as everything was there, and we got the material to them very quickly.”
Governor Corbett says PEMA and FEMA have been working together closely since Hurricane Irene hit before Labor Day. It was the remnants President Barack Obama has issued two disaster declarations for this latest round of flooding. One makes federal aid available to individuals, the other to local and state governments, as recovery efforts continue.
Anyone planning on stopping by a Disaster Recovery Center should first register with FEMA, online. The DRCs are open in Bloomsburg, DuShore, Harrisburg, Montoursville, Nanticoke, Towanda and Tunkhannock. Check the addresses below for the disaster center nearest you:
Wyoming County Tunkannock Area School District Administration Office 41 Philadelphia Avenue Tunkhannock, PA 18657 Bradford County Towanda Fire Department 101 Elm St., Towanda PA 18848 Luzerne County Community College 1334 South Prospect Street Nanticoke, PA 18634 Dauphin County Harrisburg East Mall 3501 Paxton Street Harrisburg, PA 17111 Lycoming County 740 Fairfield Road Montoursville, PA 17754 Columbia County Agricultural Center 702 Sawmill Road Bloomsburg, PA 17815 Sullivan County at Loyalsock State Forest District Office 6735 RT. 220 Dushore, PA 18626
Flood Recovery Efforts Begin
The unofficial death toll stands at 12, according to Governor Tom Corbett’s latest briefing. “I believe though that a combination of planning, quick response by emergency responders throughout the affected region and the bravery of those emergency crews have prevented that number from going higher,” Corbett says. State officials estimate that more than 2,000 homes have been damaged.
The governor says the recovery phase of the flooding disaster will be long and difficult. “It’s going to be the coordination of the local, county, state and federal [governments]. Many people are going to be asking for help.”
The Bloomsburg Fairgrounds were overtaken by the Susquehanna River. Volunteers are now helping in a massive cleanup operation to get ready for opening day.
Some northeastern Pennsylvania residents haven’t even been able to get back into their homes to view the damage. “At the height there were 21-shelters open, there are still 16-shelters open,” explains Red Cross public affairs manager Janice Osborne. “Our primary role right now is to provide shelter for people, to provide food, and for the immediate emergency needs such as emotional counseling, toiletry items.”
The Red Cross is preparing and distributing 20,000 hot meals a day. Cleanup supplies are arriving by the truckload, but they still need your monetary help. Blood donations are also valuable, as Osborne says many of the blood donation collection sites had to close down due to the flooding.
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is warning affected residents not to rush back into their homes, as they must be dried and thoroughly cleaned first. Everything the flood water touched should be disinfected, but many items – like mattresses and carpets – are better off in the dumpster.
PA Braces for Life-Threatening, Record-Breaking Floods
It’s a Level One situation at the PEMA emergency operations center in suburban Harrisburg. That’s the highest level possible for a state disaster response. “By comparison, 11-days ago, Hurricane Irene only reached a Level Two here in Pennsylvania,” Governor Tom Corbett said at an afternoon media briefing from the PEMA headquarters. The last time the emergency operations center was operating at Level One was 9/11/01.
Gov. Corbett and PEMA director Glenn Cannon brief the media on the flooding in central and northeastern PA.
Governor Corbett says the state faces a clear public health emergency. “Sewage treatment plants, such as the one near Hershey, are underwater and no longer working,” Corbett says, “As you know flood water is toxic.” The governor’s message was clear: stay out of the flood water unless you are being rescued.
So far three deaths have been attributed to the flooding. Two of those deaths are in Lancaster County; the third is in Dauphin County, though PEMA director Glenn Cannon says they are as of yet unconfirmed. Almost every town along the Susquehanna River has experienced flooding, but the situation is expected to only get worse until the river crests.
By Friday morning, 1,200 National Guard troops will have been activated. 400 of them are already assisting in the evacuation and protection of thousands of Wilkes-Barre residents, who are evacuating low-lying areas. Governor Corbett has been in contact with federal officials, and says FEMA is flying in pallets full of water and MRE’s (meals, ready-to-eat). The supplies are being dropped off at Ft. Indiantown Gap, and will be distributed to the county level as needed.
The Clean-up and Recovery Begins…
As crews tried to restore power to hundreds of thousands of customers left in the dark by Hurricane Irene, state officials continued their efforts to set Pennsylvania on the path to recovery in the wake of the enormous storm.
Governor Tom Corbett provided updates on the state’s fatalities Sunday, including people killed by falling trees in Dauphin, Monroe and Luzerne counties. A fourth person died after losing control of their car along the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Carbon County. Authorities in Montgomery County say the body of a woman was discovered in a creek near her abandoned car. The death toll stood at five by Monday morning, but more reports of storm-related fatalities were possible.
Flood waters threaten vehicles in suburban Philadelphia Saturday night
Officials also say the flooding threat is not over. The Delaware River will crest above flood stage Monday and other waterways throughout eastern Pennsylvania will be affected as the rains dumped by Irene to the north of us run off to the south.
Governor Corbett has asked Washington for federal disaster assistance for at least 11 counties affected by Hurricane Irene: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Pike, Wyoming and Wayne.
While Irene is gone, another potentially dangerous storm system is developing in the eastern Atlantic. Tropical Depression 12 is expected to be a hurricane by Thursday as it moves slowly westward.
Corbett Signs Disaster Declaration Ahead of Hurricane Irene
Gov. Corbett briefs the media after declarating a statewide disaster emergency.
By declaring a statewide disaster emergency, Governor Tom Corbett says state agencies will have the flexibility they need to provide help to local emergency responders. It also authorizes the state to use all resources and personnel as necessary. 1,500 National Guard troops have been pre-positioned in central and eastern PA. “Hopefully we won’t have to use them, but they’re going to be in the area and be there.” Corbett said at a Friday afternoon briefing.
The governor urges every Pennsylvania citizen to heed the safety advice and warnings being issued by emergency managers across the eastern half of the state. “You prepare for the worst, and you pray for the best,” Corbett says of Hurricane Irene.
Southeastern Pennsylvania, in particular, has been saturated by rain. Philadelphia has already set a record for monthly rainfall totals with 13-inches – before Irene even arrives. But, Corbett cautions that nobody should take the situation lightly. “Folks in the central part of the state, I’d be watching this storm. I’m going to be watching this storm, very, very closely.”
Governor Corbett tells reporters he’s cleared his scheduled through Monday, and will be splitting time between the Governor’s Residence and PEMA emergency operations center in Harrisburg. Pennsylvanians can find all the resources they need for emergency planning online.