GILBERTON, Pa. — It was another day in Gilberton and another day underwater.
Despite fire crews working overtime to get the water levels to drop, residents in this community could only watch as the water continued to rise.
Those residents include the wife of the Continental Hose Company Fire Chief, whose home is among those flooded.
“Loss for words. I don't know what to tell you,” said Debra Jackowiak. “There's times I just break down and cry.”
After two days of rising water, fire crews in Gilberton have brought in a secret weapon of sorts, two super pumps from New Jersey they've stationed on Main Street.
The equipment is so heavy and dangerous, the Schuylkill County Emergency Management Agency put out a call for assistance from other volunteer fire companies to help put the pumps together.
“They’re 12-inch skid units,” said Barry Brassington, the Gilberton Fire Marshal. “We're hooking them up in the process now, we weren't getting anywhere with our four pumps yesterday. Right now, there's 50 plus guys hooking them up right now.”
Residents living in the flooded part of Main Street were taken from their homes by boat overnight in a mandatory evacuation as the water showed no signs of receding.
Boat crews were back on the water, going to homes to retrieve things left behind during those evacuations, including pets and medications.
They were also taking PPL crews on the water.
“We had the task of helping PPL to go around, they were disconnecting power and pulling meters from houses,” said Kyle Morgan with the Dive Rescue and Recovery Team out of Schuylkill Haven.
Now once those super pumps are up and running, the hope is the water will finally go down.
“As soon as we get them hooked up, we should make some great headway on this project,” said Brassington.
The Continental fire chief has said that pipes for a bridge project clogged and contributed to this flooding in Gilberton.
He did say the construction company dug trenches to release some of the water but again the water continued to rise.
Now two giant pumps have been brought in to see if they can do the job.
RELATED: No relief from flooding in Gilberton
RELATED: Gilberton remains underwater