fridaytimeswill

Hundreds join in city's cleanup

By: Kristen Garrett, Times Staff

07/06/2007

A day after the flood in Aliquippa, Rick Kirkland, above, of Midland, and Benard Jackson squeegee the mud out of Rew's Banquet Hall on Franklin Avenue. Family and friends pitch in to help owners Randy and Mary Campbell.

HELPING HANDS

These organizations are pitching in to clean up local flood damage:

Local police, firefighters, emergency service personnel and public works crews.

Beaver County Emergency Services.

Region 13, a 13-county mutual aid task force.

PennDOT.

American Red Cross.

Salvation Army.

Pennsylvania Emergency Management Association.

Drink the water

Beaver County Emergency Management Director Wes Hill said that as of Friday afternoon, water service had been restored to all local residents, and the water is safe to drink.

Hill said county officials were working with representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to test the water in streams and rivers because some sewage entered the waterways during the flood.

More help

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh is providing assistance at its Beaver County office for flood victims who need food and cleaning supplies. Residents can call the office at (724) 775-0758 or visit the office at the Beaver Valley Professional Building, Suite 108, 3582 Brodhead Road, Center Township, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.

ALIQUIPPA - Hundreds of people were working Friday as part of the flood cleanup effort in Aliquippa.

Residents on Franklin Avenue, such as Will Lawbaugh, worked throughout the day pulling wet carpeting from their homes and piling ruined belongings along the curbs to be thrown away at trash bins placed around the city.

Lawbaugh, who lives in a group of homes known as the Community of Celebration, joined his neighbors in an effort to clean up their homes. He said that at noon Thursday, he had no idea how much rain was going to hit the area, and by 1 p.m., water was entering the basement and the street looked like a river.

Lawbaugh said everything in his basement, including clothing, was lost.

Through the business district, Franklin Avenue looked more like a dirt road of old than a modern roadway. Vehicles dodged piles of mud while business owners salvaged what they could.

Assistant Street Commissioner Michael Mansueti said street department crews started at one end of Franklin and began working their way down to clean the debris and sweep the dirt from the avenue and side streets. He expected at least two more days' worth of work before the street cleanup would be complete.

Ron Dallies and his son Ron Jr. were shoveling mud from Junak's Auto Repair and Snow Removal on Franklin Avenue Friday for a second day, and the work was getting tiresome.

The father and son were sweating profusely in the humid morning weather that settled in over Aliquippa after the deluge. They tossed brownish-gray shovel loads of the slimy stuff into a Bobcat machine while another employee hosed down the garage floor.

"Just a guesstimate, but we've taken out 10 tons or more," Ron Sr. said, tossing in another shovelful.

The pair, who live in Aliquippa's West Aliquippa neighborhood, said the worst thing about the flood was that it took them away from their regular work. Ron Sr. is a mechanic. Ron Jr. does body work.

But the two maintained a sense of humor, despite the muddy conditions.

"At least we made the paper without being drug-related or gunshots," Ron Jr. said.

Brenda Lee, owner of Miajah's, was still waiting to hear whether her insurance would cover any damage. She said everything in her basement, where the water was up to her thighs Thursday, was ruined. She and her family and friends began working at 9:30 a.m. Friday carrying damaged goods to trash bins. She said the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army brought cleaning supplies, and the Salvation Army had also been providing food during the cleanup.

PROGRESS

Wes Hill, director of Beaver County Emergency Services, said the cleanup was slow, but progress was being made with help from various agencies. Hill estimated about 200 people were participating in the cleanup, with teams working all over the city.

Aliquippa Assistant Fire Chief David Foringer said officials are working on a plan to remove water from any vacant or abandoned buildings in the city. He said he realized standing water would be a health hazard and hoped to start drying out empty buildings by the start of next week.

Hill said mold as a result of the flooding is a big concern. The American Red Cross has cleanup kits and can provide property owners with instructions on how to clean and remove any mold that results from the flooding.

Beaver County hazardous-materials crews also set up a decontamination area to wash vehicles and workers leaving the area.

Kristen Garrett can be reached online at kgarrett@timesonline.com.