GILBERTON, Pa. — "It's gotten worse. My heart is aching right now for our residents."
That's what everybody has been saying in Gilberton and as you walk around this small community, there's destruction everywhere. People are in disbelief, seeing how much damage flooding from a minor rainstorm has caused.
After two days of trying to lower water levels, nothing has worked.
"I never wanted to see this ever again," said Gilberton Mayor Mary Lou Hannon. "Back in 2006, we suffered 33 losses of homes and to see this happening again, it seems like it's getting worse. The water is not going down at all."
People in Gilberton believe this flood is worse than that the flooding 14 years ago and this rainstorm didn't even compare. Pump trucks and fire trucks have been brought in from all over the area, even New jersey, but the water level keeps rising after the banks from Mahanoy Creek overflowed.
People and pets along Main Street had to get rescued from their homes by boat.
"I don't know how much more some people can take, from the pandemic to this. A lot of people in this community are older and they don't have any other resources available right now and I think that's the main factor we need to be looking at as a borough," resident Tracy Dudash said.
Borough officials believe much of the flooding is a result of clogged pipes along the Route 924 bridge that's currently being worked on. PennDOT is teaming up with the borough to try and find a solution and it pulled its crews from working on the project. But nobody knows what's next and some believe this flood may be the final blow and Gilberton may never be able to recover.
"What's going to happen here? I bet you this whole downtown will be gone. It's a shame," Don Dudash said.
More pump trucks expected to be called in and the mayor is asking for National Guard help.
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