Major Flood Damage in Pittsburgh and Western Penn.

[ColdWaterConch]

Hi all.

Soon after I posted the thread about Western PA flooding, I got a call from my wife, telling me that I had better come home...roads were beginning to become impassible, and my house was starting to flood (and I live on a hill).

A normal 45 min drive home took 3 hours, with me consulting my map and trying to beat all the road closures home...it was insane.

I live about 10 miles north of the city....the devastation is immense. My in-laws lost their business...their bldg was next to a stream that is normally 2' deep, with a 12' embankment. When that stream crested, it was 4' high in their bldg.

Almost every business along the Rt 8 corridor from Etna to Hampton is gone....numerous bridges were washed away. The sight is unreal...and I lived through Andrew (I have to say that a flood is worse...everything is coated with sewage and mud).

To add insult to injury, 95% of these people (including moi) do not have flood insurance...because the areas that flooded have never flooded before and many were well above the 100 year flood plain.

[HurryKane]

I have been to Pittsburgh a couple of times but am still not very familiar with the area. Can anyone tell me how the Convention Center and the area near it fared? Many thanks.

[ColdWaterConch]

I have been to Pittsburgh a couple of times but am still not very familiar with the area. Can anyone tell me how the Convention Center and the area near it fared? Many thanks.

That area is fine.

[Pburgh]

Coldwater, I live off of Middle road in Gibsonia so I was pretty high and dry but it was a very scary ride home from Turtle Creek.

Did you have much cleanup to do?? How are your inlaws??

[ColdWaterConch]

Coldwater, I live off of Middle road in Gibsonia so I was pretty high and dry but it was a very scary ride home from Turtle Creek.

Did you have much cleanup to do?? How are your inlaws??

Small world. I also live off of Middle...right across from Hampton HS. In- laws business is on Mt. Royal near Duncan.

Had a couple of inches of water in my basement...hard to complain after seeing the in-laws place. They are currently trying to retrieve information off their computers, and are waiting for a dumpster to arrive.

[shaner]

Really, really small world. I grew up on Ben Miller Rd in Gibsonia, just off Richland Rd.

[Pburgh]

I'm in Grouse Run right down the road from Wagners. If there's anything I can do to help out, just PM me.

Wow Shaner this is a small world.

[ohiostorm]

Ive been going around looking at what the floods left behind in some of the worst hit areas. I tell you it looks like a bomb went off. Nothing Ive never seen before. We've had a few reports of death from this area. People are comparing this to the 96 flood. In fact, the river crested about 1/2 foot below levels from 96. But the big thing was the stream flooding and mudslides. We didnt have those in 96. We just had mainly the river. This time it was all over. Towns completely leveled. Im going to one of the worst towns today and I will definately have some pictures, hopefully. Houses completely moved or detroyed. Whole area declared a disaster area.

[Rainband]

My Bro-in-law is an engineer for PennDot, he is working overtime inspecting all the bridges. They are lucky, they live high and dry in the mountains but not everybody is so lucky My sister said some places are worse than the 96 flooding. God Speed to all going through this sad situation.

[BocaGirl]

My friend Louise sent me the following report about conditions in Pittsburgh. Her words are unbelieveable! Here's what she wrote:
*****
Pgh had the most devastation ever seen. My colleagues from work traveled home from Philly, we had van-pooled out there last Weds in two vans, five persons each. Both left Phila for home at noon on Friday. One van got back at 8 PM, one got back at 11 PM. Turnpike saw massive delays due to rockslides. Etna was flooded to the roofline of 3-story bldgs. Railroad tracks (made out of iron) going south on Rt 8 toward Etna are unbelievably buckled and twisted with debris everywhere.

Here in the north, the bridge at Hardies Lake is washed away, have to travel long way around to Shop N Save now. Bridge at Josephine Drive (alternate route) also washed away. Bridge on yellow belt going into North Park, washed away, I've had to find a new way to travel to work. I think I heard 20 bridges are gone in Alleg County, and I can't remember how many buildings are ruined. Other areas too were wiped out. So many people and businesses are really hurting, they lost it all.

Gov Rendell can only offer loans.. ha! to people who have no businesses
anymore and who can't repay. Sorry no flood insurance for most homeowners...they never got flooded in their lifetimes so never needed it. I can't imagine what this would be like.

It's still hard to believe and take it all in. You travel around and see
these absolutely HUGE piles of wet trash, furniture, rubble, being piled up
everywhere. News commenters now say new concern is for disease, and
vermine. All the rats gots displaced too.

What a lesson this is for us.. we stay here because we don't like Calif
earthquakes, nor Florida hurricanes. It just goes to show... you can't
depend on anything, anymore.
*****

[shaner]

Etna was flooded to the roofline of 3-story bldgs. Railroad tracks (made out of iron) going south on Rt 8 toward Etna are unbelievably buckled and twisted with debris everywhere.

Here in the north, the bridge at Hardies Lake is washed away, have to travel long way around to Shop N Save now. Bridge at Josephine Drive (alternate route) also washed away. Bridge on yellow belt going into North Park, washed away, I've had to find a new way to travel to work. I think I heard 20 bridges are gone in Alleg County, and I can't remember how many buildings are ruined.

I called and checked on family in Allison Park, Gibsonia, and Deer Lakes. I can't believe how much flooding there is. To hear of Rt. 8 and McKnight Rd washed out is amazing to me. Luckily, all my relatives are safe with only minor basement flooding.

Can anybody tell me how bad it is on Rt 8, from say the Richland Mall down to Hampton?

My brother in law works for Hampton Township, and he hasn't been home since it all started.

[ColdWaterConch]

Rt 8 was flooded...completely under water...from Etna to Duncan Rd (the old Auld's Lumber Yard) (roughly the Hampton/Shaler line) (about 8 miles). Every business along Rt 8 south of Duncan sustained water damage of some sort. Many are gone (friends of the family had a garage along Rt 8 that had been there for about 60 yrs...walls just washed away).

The train tracks from Etna to Hampton are unusable...completely buckled.

North of Duncan there was much, much less damage. The office bldg near McCully on Rt 8 sustained heavy damage (the foundation washed away on part of the bldg). Otherwise, the flooding was localized. From McCully up to Richland, you would never know there was a flood.

We have friends that live a 1/2 mile north of us and had no idea of the damage along Rt 8.

If you are familiar with the Hertz heavy equipment rental bldg on Rt 8, that is where they are dumping all of the garbage from the flood....not a pretty sight.

Businesses are coming back to life. The Giant Eagle on Rt 8 has opened again. The pizza places are still closed...I'm not sure Caseys is coming back.

[weathermom]

I see people lamenting the fact that most people have no flood insurance. Speaking from experience, flood insurance is next to worthless. It is very expensive and doesnt cover most anything you would need it to. It doesnt cover "contents" , only structural damage. If you are unfortunate enough to have structural damage, they look for every loophole to try to weasel out of covering that also.

[dhweather]

This is quite tragic. Very sorry for the folks being flooded.