ALBANY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Families are still struggling to return to normal after flash flooding in Bradford County washed away a private bridge.
The sign says "bridge closed," but you won't find a bridge on Leesway Lane near New Albany. The bridge washed away during a flash flood earlier this month.
"It was nerve-wracking," said Nelda Marlene Lee. "When it happened, when I see all the water, as of now, I know I can't get out, so I'm stranded in here, so I stay here."
Unless you want to cut through the woods, the private bridge was the only way to get to Nelda Marlene Lee's home.
For now, a makeshift bridge is the only way out.
Now in her 80s, Lee uses a walker. She hasn't left her neighborhood in weeks.
"I can't get down there on my scooter, and I don't want to end up in a hole."
It's difficult enough to try and keep your balance as you cross the bridge. Now imagine carrying groceries or something else you need to get to your home.
"I was carrying a duffle bag above my head and I got mad. I said something needs to be done," said Nick Lee, Nelda's grandson
He lives here next door to his mom and sister. Nick says he decided to build a bridge after his mother fell into the south branch of Towanda Creek on her way to work.
"Nobody can get nowhere. Mostly, I've been worrying about my sister. She's pregnant and my mom having to walk to work or at least to the top of the hill," Nick Lee said.
As for the other neighbors, Lee says a family with kids used to live here.
"They took some things out and they never came back yet," Nick said.
Because the bridge is private, Lee worries he won't get help to rebuild it.
"I've called PEMA, and they know about it, and I called emergency management, and they said there was nothing they could do because it was private," he said.
"We don't have any funds. Mostly, I live on my social security," Nelda said. "It's nerve-wracking, but I try not to think about it."
A neighbor behind the Lees is working to repair a private road on his property. With that neighbor's permission, the Lee family may have another way to get to their homes.