TROUT RUN, Pa. — More than two weeks after tropical storm Debby flooded parts of Trout Run, residents are still picking up the pieces. Susan Whitford has lived here for 50 years. Once the flood waters receded, she was left with no water or sewage. Whitford found her septic cover was cracked after digging it out. she said it's going to take two weeks to fix.
"Got electricity, got my basement is cleaned out, it's being dried it's not dried yet waiting for the septic top, waiting for the well people to come, you know then we can maybe move in," said Susan Whitford, Trout Run.
Whitford is currently staying at a friend's house down the street that has running water. Despite the mess Debby left, she is hopeful she'll be back in her home and is grateful for everyone's help over the past two weeks.
"The people that have come through the past two weeks and helped, it's been very great, appreciative; you know the fire hall had breakfast, lunch, and supper; you couldn't ask for any more than that," said Whitford.
Several businesses were also damaged during the storm, including the Steam Valley Travel Plaza and Exxon gas station parking lot. The water was up to the gas pumps.
"I wasn't working that morning, but as—it happened pretty quick, I watched the cameras, it was just like within a matter of 5 minutes, it was like clear, and then the whole store just started getting flooded," said Abbye Newcomer, assistant manager at Steam Valley Travel Plaza/Exxon gas station.
Newcomer says the cleanup was stressful. Newswatch 16 was there when bulldozers scooped up all of the mud in the parking lot. It took two weeks for the travel plaza to re-open. Friday was their first day back in business.
"It was mainly just the mud on the floor; we didn't get much water on the inside. It was mainly just inside the doors here, probably like a foot of water or so," said Newcomer.
Work started on the Route 14 bridge over the weekend. PennDOT officials say a temporary road is being put in North and South of where the damaged bridge was removed.