Connellsville mayor urges flood victims to attend home buyout meeting
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
During Tuesday’s council meeting, Connellsville City Councilman Tom Karpiak (left) and city clerk Vernon Ohler (center) listen as Mayor Greg Lincoln discusses the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s (PEMA) hazard mitigation program Tuesday.
Connellsville police Chief Bill Hammerle reported to Connellsville City Council Tuesday evening how the city’s police department and the police auxiliary coordinated their efforts to provide security during the flood emergency.
CONNELLSVILLE — City Council agreed on Tuesday to enter a state program which could offer buyouts to homeowners whose homes were damaged in the Aug. 28 flood in Dutch Bottom.
Mayor Greg Lincoln urged victims of the flood to attend a meeting about the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s (PEMA) Hazard Mitigation Program. The voluntary program offers fair market value for homes in flood plains that were damaged in floods, he said.
The meeting is Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the Carnegie Free Library on South Pittsburgh Street. The head of PEMA’s flood mitigation program is attending, Lincoln said.
“There’s a lot to ask, a lot to learn,” Lincoln said.
Just over three weeks ago, Connellsville and the surrounding area were devastated by historic rainfall and destructive flooding. More than 150 homes were impacted.
Chip Rowan, chairman of the Greater Connellsville Flood Relief Fund Committee, said Tuesday in a press release that federal agencies estimate the damage costs to be just over $7 million, including homes, buildings and personal properties.
He also indicated that to date, a total of $432,912.63 has been deposited in the Flood Relief Account at Somerset Bank and Trust.
The committee will continue their operations as they launch the Greater Connellsville Flood Relief Project Headquarters on Oct. 3 to help coordinate recourses such as disaster case management, volunteer assistance, supplies, services, and emotional and spiritual support, Rowan wrote.
Lincoln said countless volunteers spent the weeks afterwards clearing debris and assessing damages. Now, homeowners are faced with whether they want to rebuild, repair damages or relocate.
He said he is glad the program is being offered, but wishes it doesn’t result in residents moving out of town.
“We don’t want to lose homeowners in our city,” Lincoln said.
Once a homeowner enters the program, the state provides the city with money to buy the property and convert it to green space.
Oct. 8 is the deadline for council to enter the program, he added.
Councilman Tom Karpiak said the process works slowly and residents who enter the program won’t receive the money for their properties until April.
People who demolished their flood damaged homes will not qualify for the program, Lincoln said.
“Be patient for one more week,” he said.
On Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) declared Fayette County a disaster area due to damages to homes and business from the flood, Lincoln said.
The declaration means low-interest loans are available to home and business owners. The SBA opened a disaster loan outreach center at the Fayette EMS office at 301 S. Arch St., which is opening at 10 a.m. Thursday.
In addition, the flood relief fund committee will decide how to distribute money and building supplies donated to flood victims, Lincoln said.
He said the needs of the flood victims vary, and it is not fair to the businesses that donated building supplies to give the supplies to someone whose home is going to be demolished.
The mayor and council members praised the New Haven Hose Co., the public works department and police for their effort during and after the flood.
Lincoln said New Haven Fire Chief Bob Topper was out of town so Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Layton led a heroic effort by department volunteers who worked late into the night.
“They rescued 12 people with their fishing boat,” Lincoln said, noting that the rescue boat was inoperable. “He was an unbelievable leader.”
Some residents were trapped in their homes for three hours, he said.
Karpiak said fire fighters navigated the flooded area in the rain and darkness in a small boat. A handicapped woman was among the residents they rescued, he said.
“They’re taking their lives into their own hands,” Karpiak said.
He commended the five-man street department for working 17 days in the cleanup effort and doing needed work in other parts of the city.
Lincoln said police enforced a curfew in Dutch Bottom following the flood to avoid looting, and no problems occurred.
Police Chief William Hammerle said donating lighting helped officers and the police auxiliary keep sightseers away from the area.
In another flood-related matter, council adopted a resolution allowing the state Department of Transportation to use city property to access Route 711 to repair the road and storm drains that were damaged in the flood.
Herald-Standard reporter Olivia Goudy contributed to this story.