Slippery Rock Mayor Jondavid Longo signed a declaration of disaster emergency Sunday evening amid intense storms and flash flooding in the Butler County borough.Longo said the declaration will remain in full force for a period of seven days.It will result in the immediate mobilization of all available borough personnel, equipment, facilities, and resources necessary to respond to and mitigate the effects of the flooding emergency, he said. It will also implement protective actions, including road closures, traffic control, detours, evacuations if necessary, and any other measures required to protect public safety and restore safe travel. “I have no driveway now,” said Eric Bienick, a Slippery Rock homeowner. His gravel driveway was washed away, and the basement flooded.”There’s about six inches of mud in there that I’ll scrub out, and then we’ll let the furnace air out and take it one day at a time,” Bienick said.Severe weather alerts: Read current weather alerts for your county; Learn how to enable automatic weather alerts on the WTAE appInteractive radar: Track storms in your areaJack Schmitt, another local homeowner, reported similar damage.”We have this sewage backing up in our houses. Every two years, we have this expense of new furnaces, and new hot water heaters, and washers and dryers,” Schmitt said.Both residents pointed to clogged drains on Franklin Street as a contributing factor to the flooding. “What’s the physical system like here? I mean, it was a big storm, but if it can’t handle a storm, then I think that’s why you pay taxes is for the local government to take care of you. Hopefully they’ll address it,” Bienick said.Looking for more news in your area | Subscribe to the WTAE YouTube ChannelBorough Manager Christian Laskey said he is working with multiple agencies to determine what options are available to address the drainage issue. Nearby homes are now ripping out carpets caked in sewage, and a Dollar General store was forced to close Monday after water flooded the building from the back. In a written statement Longo shared with Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 on Monday, he said, “Once we complete our damage assessment, we will work directly with local businesses and homeowners to identify practical mitigation measures, including infrastructure improvements to drainage and culverts.” Longo said the declaration will request mutual aid assistance and resources from Butler County Emergency Management, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, neighboring jurisdictions and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as needed.Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. —
Slippery Rock Mayor Jondavid Longo signed a declaration of disaster emergency Sunday evening amid intense storms and flash flooding in the Butler County borough.
Longo said the declaration will remain in full force for a period of seven days.
It will result in the immediate mobilization of all available borough personnel, equipment, facilities, and resources necessary to respond to and mitigate the effects of the flooding emergency, he said. It will also implement protective actions, including road closures, traffic control, detours, evacuations if necessary, and any other measures required to protect public safety and restore safe travel.
“I have no driveway now,” said Eric Bienick, a Slippery Rock homeowner. His gravel driveway was washed away, and the basement flooded.
“There’s about six inches of mud in there that I’ll scrub out, and then we’ll let the furnace air out and take it one day at a time,” Bienick said.
Severe weather alerts: ; Interactive radar:
Jack Schmitt, another local homeowner, reported similar damage.
“We have this sewage backing up in our houses. Every two years, we have this expense of new furnaces, and new hot water heaters, and washers and dryers,” Schmitt said.
Both residents pointed to clogged drains on Franklin Street as a contributing factor to the flooding.
“What’s the physical system like here? I mean, it was a big storm, but if it can’t handle a storm, then I think that’s why you pay taxes is for the local government to take care of you. Hopefully they’ll address it,” Bienick said.
Looking for more news in your area | Subscribe to the WTAE YouTube Channel
Borough Manager Christian Laskey said he is working with multiple agencies to determine what options are available to address the drainage issue.
Nearby homes are now ripping out carpets caked in sewage, and a Dollar General store was forced to close Monday after water flooded the building from the back.
In a written statement Longo shared with Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 on Monday, he said, “Once we complete our damage assessment, we will work directly with local businesses and homeowners to identify practical mitigation measures, including infrastructure improvements to drainage and culverts.”
Longo said the declaration will request mutual aid assistance and resources from Butler County Emergency Management, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, neighboring jurisdictions and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as needed.
Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.