May 1, 2002 By The 6 min read

Mud, debris and water swept through communities across Fayette County early Thursday, forcing road closures and flooding basements. Fayette County Emergency Management Director Roy Shipley said it was the most extensive countywide flooding he can remember.

“We were really inundated at the (911 dispatch) center. At the peak, we had 36 calls going at one time,” Shipley said.

Flooding was reported in Brownsville and Perryopolis boroughs and Luzerne, Jefferson, Franklin, Perry and Saltlick townships.

The problems began between midnight and 1 a.m. and continued through the night. Shipley said the flooding was so severe that two of the county’s busiest highways – Route 119 and Route 51 – were closed at times overnight.

“We shut 119 down near the cemetery, past Route 982 in Bullskin Township. It had to be shut down first for a wreck and then because of flooding,” Shipley said, adding that the flooding there was discovered after 3 a.m. and the road was closed until around 5 a.m.

Wayne Rumburg of the National Weather Service said recent rains have saturated the ground, leading to the flash flooding.

“It only takes, at this time, an inch of rain to bring the streams out of their banks,” Rumburg said.

He said the overnight storms formed along a warm front that followed the Monongahela River.

And, Fayette County communities in the Mon Valley were among those hit hardest by the rains and ensuing flooding.

Roads in Luzerne and Jefferson townships were blocked by mudslides. D.J. Angelone, emergency management coordinator for Luzerne Township, said officials partially activated the emergency operation center from 2:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and emergency calls were fielded at the Hiller fire hall.

“Alicia was the worst hit. There were rocks on the roadway and trees on the roadway,” Angelone said. “We got one lane open for the morning rush hour. East Fredericktown Road to the ferry closed at 6 a.m. due to high water and mud. One motorist attempted to go through the water. The LaBelle Volunteer Fire Department helped him out.”

East Fredericktown Road reopened at 9 a.m. after Luzerne Township used its heavy equipment to clear the debris from the road, Angelone said.

He said asphalt was damaged when part of Brashear Street began to sink near Brownsville Area High School. Also, three mudslides occurred on Alicia Road. PennDOT was contacted and cleared the state-maintained road.

Angelone said the flooding significantly affected only six homes, the worst being in Alicia, across from Consol Coal. The other affected homes were in the Hiller area, where residents saw as much as 17 inches of water enter their basements. Angelone said the water damaged appliances, furnaces and other belongings.

Jefferson Township secretary Debbi Swift said that township also was hit hard.

“It was the whole township. It’s a mess. We’ve got mudslides, roads closed and bridges out. The supervisors have been working since 1 a.m.” Swift said.

Washington Township loaned “road closed” signs to Jefferson Township, to mark all the affected roads, including Lynn Bottom, Mount Vernon and Williams roads.

“A big chunk is gone at the end of Stuckslager Road. It’s down to no more than one lane,” Swift said.

The flooding also washed out numerous driveways in Jefferson Township and left one resident stranded when a private bridge was blocked by a mudslide.

Elsewhere, the rains flooded the basements of 24 homes in Perryopolis, caused an estimated $60,000 in damages to roads and infrastructure in Franklin Township and deluged basements and roads in Perry Township.

“Loss of personal items is very high,” Perryopolis Police Chief Roger Beadling said Thursday as borough workers and the Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department were busy cleaning streets, pumping water out of basements and removing debris from bridges. “Hardest hit was Railroad Street, Cemetery Road and King Street.”

Residents along North Liberty and Knox streets and in the Snipetown area also suffered basement flooding.

In addition, South Liberty Street was closed for a time because it was under a foot of water that escaped the banks of a stream, and several trees fell on Knox Street.

Beadling estimated that local streams were flowing 2 feet higher than normal early Thursday afternoon. He said he was not aware of any damage to roads, but stream bridges collected logs and other debris that was caught in the torrent.

In Franklin Township, Crabapple Road, Riverside Road, Sand Rock Road and Jacobs Lane felt the brunt of the storm.

“Lost two pipes. Lost one road completely, Brewer Road,” said George Bozek, chairman of the township supervisors.

Four residents live along the half-mile Brewer Road. Bozek said the road was passable Thursday afternoon but must be rebuilt completely.

Crabapple Run, which flows from Spillway Lake, washed away 80 feet of Crabapple Road, plugged a storm pipe and toppled a wall, Bozek said. The damaged part of that road will be resurfaced today, he said.

In Perry Township, the Star Junction ball field “looks like a river,” said a member of the township’s volunteer fire department who declined to identify himself.

He said Thursday afternoon that firefighters had been pumping water from basements and businesses and cleaning roads “non-stop” since about 1 a.m. Thursday.

Homes and roads in low-lying areas and those near creeks and streams were in the path of the flooding.

Among those homes was a duplex where Sarah Haines and her boyfriend live, and their basement had a foot-and-a-half of water inside by 1 a.m.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Haines said.

She said she doesn’t yet know if the water damaged her furnace, adding that she’s glad she didn’t keep many belongings in the basement.

Diamond Street is near the ball field, which Haines described as a “lake with a river running through it.” She said the water crested 6 inches from the top of a fence around the field.

In Saltlick Township, firefighter Corey Stennett said crews had to close Melcroft and Buchanon roads to traffic for about three hours after nearby streams and creeks flooded. The department also was called to assist with some basement flooding at the home of one of its members.

Stennett said Indian Creek leveled to near normal conditions Thursday after reaching flood stage overnight.

“It’s gone down 2 feet already,” he said.

Editor’s note: Herald-Standard staff writers Steve Ferris, Christine Haines and Patty Shultz contributed to this report.