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Families Watch As Flood-Damaged Homes Come Down

CATAWISSA — A lifetime of memories came crumbling down Tuesday for a family in Columbia County. Their family homestead is one of three buildings coming do...

CATAWISSA -- A lifetime of memories came crumbling down Tuesday for a family in Columbia County.

Their family homestead is one of three buildings coming down this week in Catawissa; all were ravaged by the historic flood of 2011.

Family members told us this government buyout and demolition is sad but necessary.

In only hours, the home of 60 years of Goscminski family memories was reduced to a pile of rubble. This place in Catawissa housed decades of Christmases, birthdays, family parties, and more, but it also housed flood waters many times, and that's why this became demolition day.

"That's why I didn't go to work today. I stayed and watched it go down. I got a lot of pictures of it. We had some good times there," said Susan Gosciminski.

Susan Gosciminski moved into the family homestead when she was 2 years old. Now she lives in a home on higher ground next door. Her son was the latest owner, but after flood waters hit Catawissa in 2011, he reluctantly decided to take a government buyout.

"It just took too much work to fix it up with the water, and this really did it this time. It was horrendous the way it was," Gosciminski added.

Another neighboring home already came down this week.

Catawissa has had 14 flooded properties bought out by the federal and state governments since the 2011 flood. Demolition for three of them is this week.

"It's just sad seeing all the homes being torn down so, living here all my life you see friends and neighbors and stuff, and they're all gone now," Susan said.

"It was in every flood there was, I guess. After a while you have to let some things go," said Walter Gosciminski.

Walter Gosciminski drove by the demolition a couple times. He grew up in this house, too. Now he lives a block away in a home that will remain in the flood zone.

His business next door complicated a buyout. He'll be one of the few left near the river.

"I don't like the idea of staying here but I had no other choice. It's like a 'catch 22.'"

An apartment building is the next to come down and there will be some traffic restrictions along Main Street as that is demolished, just part of the transformation in this once-flooded part of town.

"It's going to be different. I got photos of all of them. I'm going to make an album up," Walter said.

Catawissa borough officials expect the demolition of the building on Main Street to come on Friday. Look for a lane to be blocked off while that apartment building comes down.

Once the buildings are down, nothing can be built on the properties.

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