Apr 13, 2024 By Mark Hofmann 4 min read

With about 30 Fayette County families in need of assistance following recent flooding, the Fayette County Disaster Relief Fund Board is seeking donations to assist them.

Rains pounded the region last week, causing rampant flooding on Water Street in Brownsville. And while heavy rainfall Thursday night and Friday caused few issues in the county, the first round of storms flooded basements, destroying major appliances and causing electrical damage.

“The biggest area hit was Brownsville, but we’ve got families in Uniontown, Belle Vernon and even Franklin Township who were hit hard,” said Fayette County Emergency Management Agency Director Roy Shipley.

He said he expected the number of people in need of help to increase as cleanup efforts continue – and with more wet weather in the forecast.

Fayette County Community Action Agency Director of Operations Rita Masi said the fund is currently sitting at $23,862.

“We’re concerned because there’s so many houses listed in Brownsville,” Masi said. “If we help everyone, we’ll be close to being out of funds.”

She noted that the fund is something of a last resort, as the board partners with other organizations to provide assistance. When those resources are exhausted, the disaster fund is used for whatever remaining expenses need to be paid.

Shipley, Masi and Fayette County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) Chairman Greg Crossley expressed the need to help those families.

“The money will stay local, and we already have set procedures in place to vet the recipients and make sure this money is being used the best way possible,” Shipley said.

Masi said they haven’t had to ask for donations since the fund was established in 2018 after an EF-1 tornado tore through Uniontown and North Union Township.

While nobody was killed, the 105 mph winds caused significant damage to over 100 homes.

In that instance, Masi said, the disaster fund helped mostly with roof repairs and the purchase of appliances. It also paid insurance deductibles people couldn’t afford them.

Since then, Masi said the fund has been used to help with disasters like fire, flooding in 2019 along Mount Vernon Avenue, and another tornado that hit Mill Run last August.

Masi said the fund is flexible, and used on a case-by-case basis.

Masi said if someone cannot donate money but would have an appliance to donate or to inquire about assistance, they can call the Fayette County Community Action Agency at 724-430-3025.

While Fayette County avoided flooding during the most recent storms, nearby Washington County was hit hard by the torrential rains.

The National Weather Service Pittsburgh said 2.77 inches of rain recorded in the region on Thursday shattered the old daily record of 1.46 inches, set in 1933. Some areas in the region received as much as four inches of rainfall Thursday.

The NWS said Thursday’s relentless rainfall was caused by a large and growing low-pressure system moving from the Ohio Valley to the Northeast, and is expected to last until early this weekend.

This month’s rain has crushed several records, according to NWS.

It is already the third-wettest April on record – and likely will become the wettest by the end of the month – and it is the wettest first 11 days on record for any month on record.

Pittsburgh is now 6.11 inches above normal for rainfall.

Those who wish to donate to the Fayette County Disaster Relief Fund can mail or hand deliver contributions to Fayette County Community Action Agency, 108 N. Beeson Ave., Uniontown, Pa. 15401. Cash or checks will be accepted. Those who send checks should write “Disaster Fund” on the memo line.

“We hope our citizens will donate because it might be these communities this week, but it could be any of our other communities next week, and we want to help everyone however we can,” Shipley said.

Reporter Karen Mansfield contributed to this article.