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VOICETHE CITIZENSTHE CITIZENS’’

DEALOFTHEDAY $20 FOR $10 AT MAP’S RESTAURANT. Page 2

CONTINUING FLOOD COVERAGE

VP TO TOURFLOOD DAMAGE

Joe Biden expectedto visit devastatedWyoming Valley

this week. Page 2Businesses prepare for long

road to recovery. Page 3

JOINT RELIEFDRIVE UNDER

WAYTimes-Shamrock, Red

Cross join forces to raisefunds for victims. Page 3

BRIDGE BLOCKWest Pittston residents blame new Eighth Street BridgeWest Pittston residents blame new Eighth Street Bridge

in Jenkins Twp. for massive flooding. Page 4in Jenkins Twp. for massive flooding. Page 4

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 Newsstand 50¢COVERING THE GREATER WYOMING VALLEY

By Michael P. Buffer

Staff Writer

Gov. Tom Corbett on Monday asked Presi-dent Barack Obama to issue a major disasterdeclaration for 19 counties, including Luzerneand Wyoming counties, to provide aid to indi-viduals who suffered flood damages last week.

The Susquehanna River surged to a recordcrest of 42.66 feet in Wilkes-Barre early Friday,inflicting unprecedented stress on the LuzerneCounty levee system and devastating floodingon communities not protected by floodwalls.

At least 966 temporary homes are needed inLuzerne County, and 313 temporary homes areneeded in Wyoming County, according to pre-liminary data compiled by the PennsylvaniaEmergency Management Agency.

The cost to repair homes is estimated at$3.2 million in Luzerne County and $821,500 inWyoming County. The cost for replacementhousing is estimated at $3.9 million in Wyo-ming County and was estimated at $0 inLuzerne County in Corbett’s letter to Obama.

But Steve Bekanich, director of the LuzerneCounty Emergency Management Agency, saidofficials have determined since Corbett wrotethe letter to Obama, that about 30 homes in thecounty were destroyed. More than 2,000 prop-erties in the county sustained some type ofdamage, Bekanich said.

If Obama issues a major disaster declara-tion, federal individual assistance could comein the forms of low-interest loans and grantsto help to cover the costs incurred by individu-als and businesses that are not covered byinsurance.

Corbett said Luzerne County residents andbusinesses will need another $2.4 million inassistance in addition to the $3.3 million torepair homes. Wyoming County residents andbusinesses will need an additional $445,000.

“Families will have to deal with months ofattempting to restore residences to habitabili-ty,” Corbett wrote to Obama. “The caked mud

left from the flooding in many cases is unsafe.The dampness will cause further damage dueto mold. Individual assistance to the impactedpeople is necessary to protect their lives.”

In West Pittston, officials estimated damageto 880 homes and 26 businesses. They estimat-ed 50 homes with structural damage, 16 homeswith second-floor flooding, 236 homes withfirst-floor flooding and 628 homes with base-ment flooding.

In Wilkes-Barre, officials estimated 90homes with moderate damage and 72 homeswithsignificantdamage.Thefloodalsoimpact-ed homes and businesses in Exeter Township,Larksville, Jenkins Township, Pittston, PlainsTownship, Exeter, Plymouth Township, Shick-

shinny, Duryea and Conyngham Township.State Sen. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke, and

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, talked toconstituents Monday afternoon in WestPittston and met with borough officials. Bar-letta said he will know more about what typeof federal aid is available when Obama issuesthe disaster declaration.

Two Barletta staffers, Megan G. Perez andMarisa Semenza, worked in the West Pittstonmunicipal building Monday. They receivedcontact information from residents and report-ed flood damage to the municipality.

Barletta told residents and property ownersto include the following in a report:

■ Photographs of damage;■ A brief description of the damage;■ An estimate of the cost to repair damage

to the pre-flood condition;■ Special considerations, such as hazardous

conditions, asbestos, sewage problems andinsurance coverage;

■ A cost of breakdown or receipts of workalready done.

While touring damaged homes in West Pitt-son, Barletta and Yudichak talked to SamAritz, who learned his Delaware Avenue homewas knocked off its foundation and is unsafe.

“We were crushed,” said Aritz, a member ofWyoming Area School Board.

Aritz told the legislators that he, his wife

and two daughters will temporarily live witha friend in the borough.

mbuffer@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2073

AFTERMATH // COST TO REBUILD

ON THE COVER: Trash is piled up on River Street in JenkinsTownship as the new Eighth Street Bridge and portions of the oldbridge are seen in the background. (KRISTEN MULLEN / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE)

COMPLETE WEATHER DATA ON PAGE 47

INDEXAlmanac 47

Advice 28

Birthdays 29

Business A3

Classifieds A6-16

Comics 24-26

Editorial 16-17

Horoscope 28

National A1

Obituaries 30-32

Public Notices A6

Puzzles 25-26

Sports 34-48

Television 28

DAY NIGHT

Daily # 636/667 933

Big 4 7485 6079

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Quinto 48125 00558

Cash 5 4, 16, 30, 33, 34

Cash 5: Tuesday’s jackpot will be worth atleast $225,000 because no players matchedall five numbers drawn in Monday’s game.Match 6: Thursday’s jackpot rolls to$2.1 million because no players matched allsix numbers drawn in Monday’s game.

LOTTERY NUMBERS

Treasure Hunt 12, 13, 22, 23, 28

Match 6 2, 15, 18, 19, 27, 44

(ISSN 1070-8626) USPS 450-590The Citizens’ Voice is published daily by Times-Shamrock, 75 N. WashingtonSt., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711. Periodicals postage is paid at Wilkes-Barre, PA.Postmaster: Send address changes to The Citizens’ Voice, 75 N. Washington St.,Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711. 1-year, Luzerne County, $130.

INSIDE TODAY’S VOICE

Back on the fieldValley West, GAR, Hanover, Pittstonroll to second wins of the high schoolfootball season.Page 34

Corbett: $5.7Mneeded for county

Vice President Joseph Biden will visita flooded area of the Wyoming Valley on

Friday, an airport officialconfirmed.

George Bieber, directorof public safety at theWilkes-Barre/ScrantonInternational Airport,said the vice president’sitinerary was still to bedetermined.

Kendra Barkoff, thevice president’s press

secretary, said she had no comment onwhether Biden will visit.

Shawn Kelly, press secretary to U.S.Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, said thecongressman had yet to be made awarethat the vice president is coming.

Biden last visited the region just beforethe 2010 general election, campaigninghere for Democratic U.S. Rep. ChrisCarney’s re-election.

— Borys Krawczeniuk

Biden

Biden to visit flood-strickenWyoming Valley on Friday

PLAINS TOWNSHIP: John and Mary Mooney sit outside theirbusiness Curry Donuts on River Street as the word ‘HELP’ iswritten out in river mud on their front window. John Mooneysays his daughter Megan wrote the message out of disgust di-rected towards government officials.

WEST PITTSTON: U.S. Rep. LouBarletta, left, and state Sen. JohnYudichak, right, touch the droopingwater logged ceiling of Sam Aritzinside his Delaware Avenue home.

KRISTEN MULLEN / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

KRISTEN MULLEN / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

Get$20

FOR

$10

TODAY’S FORECAST

WILKES-BARRE EXTENDED FORECAST

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2011

Clouds and sun today; fog inthe morning, then pleasant.Winds southwest 6-12 mph.

81 60

78 53

Average normal highs/lows for the week: 72/52: A shower orthunderstorm around tomorrow morning; otherwise, clouds andsun. Winds north 4-8 mph. Cooler Thursday. Winds north 7-14mph. Partly sunny Friday.

WWEEDDNNEESSDDAAYY

A morningt-storm

Last year: 72/48

66 44

TTHHUURRSSDDAAYY

Not aswarm70/46

64 43

FFRR IIDDAAYY

Partlysunny; cool

69/47

67 46

SSAATTUURRDDAAYY

Mostlysunny63/53

69 51

SSUUNNDDAAYY

Sunshine

73/47

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AFTERMATH // BUSINESSES ASSESS DAMAGE

Business owners work to save livelihoodBy Denise AllabaughStaff Writer

Donna Rydzewski fought back tears Mon-

day as she described the ravaging floodwa-

ters that destroyed her business and home in

Plains Township.

She and her husband, Rick, own Academy

of Golf Center on River Street and they lived

on the second floor. Floodwaters forced them

out and they are now staying at her mother’s

home in Nanticoke. The golf driving range,

miniature golf course and indoor golf simu-

lator at the business were destroyed. The

flooding happened on her son Nick’s 18th

birthday, she said.

“We lost everything. We can’t find two of

our cats,” Rydzewski said. “We probably

lost about $1 million just in the business

alone. There is other stuff that can’t be

replaced like the kids’ Christmas decora-

tions.”

Her daughter, Jessica, trudged through

mud that filled that the business as she

attempted to clean up and discard piles of

items inside. She showed how the pool deck

washed away to the side of the business.

Rydzewski was one of several business

owners who sought assistance Monday at a

recovery center set up at the Greater Wil-

kes-Barre Chamber of Business and Indus-

try’s office on Public Square after flooding

left widespread damage throughout

Luzerne County. Like other business own-

ers, she did not have flood insurance.

Sean Silfee and Dini Mozeleski, co-own-

ers of Not Just Pizza on River Street in

Plains Township, also came to the chamber

building seeking help. They lost everything

when more than 9 feet of water poured into

their business.

“It was catastrophic. All our equipment

was toppled over,” Silfee said. “The coolers

and everything were wiped out.”

Silfee estimated the damage amounted to

$35,000 to $50,000 to their business, that has

been located in Plains Township for the last

five years. They didn’t have flood insur-

ance.

“We don’t know if we can come back

from this. There is so much loss,” Silfee

said. “This is our livelihood. We could lose

our homes.”

At Volunteers of America’s building on

North River Street in Wilkes-Barre, thesevere flooding left 4 to 5 feet of water in thebasement, knocked out the electrical sys-tem and destroyed many clients’ files andsupplies for low-income mothers andbabies, said Bill Jones, vice president andchief operating officer of Volunteers ofAmerica.

About $1,000 worth of diapers filled withwater and were heavy to move, Jones said.Eight young adults who were staying in theNorth River Street building were displacedand have been sleeping on the floors of oth-er Volunteers of America properties, Jonessaid.

“We have to work today to try to findalternatives for them,” Jones said. “Otherpeople have it worse and we’ll figure outhow to deal with this and try to serve indi-viduals who are homeless.”

In hard-hit West Pittston, mud coveredclothing and everything else still left inCrest Cleaners. Owner Michael LaNunziatasaid he doesn’t think anything can be sal-vaged. He estimated the damage amounts toat least $500,000. Apartments he owns onLuzerne Avenue may be condemned, hesaid.

“I don’t think anybody here expected thewater to get as high as it did,” LaNunziatasaid. “We are going to have to replace every-thing. I don’t know how we’re going toafford it.”

Everything in Agolino’s Restaurant on

Luzerne Avenue was destroyed and it’sbeing gutted, said owner Joe Agolino, whosefamily operated the popular eatery since1962. During the Agnes Flood of 1972, 5 feetof water poured into the restaurant. Thistime, it was about 8 feet, Agolino said.Despite the catastrophic damage, he said he

plans to rebuild. An architect will be at therestaurant on Tuesday to present plans, hesaid.

“The whole place is going to be remod-eled,” Agolino said. “We will be back.”

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2115

■ The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber ofBusiness and Industry has set up an onlinebusiness recovery center. If your businesshas been affected by flooding or if you canassist a business who has been affected,visit http://gwbrecovery.org.

■ The Northeastern PennsylvaniaIndustrial Resource Center is assistingmanufacturing businesses in NortheasternPennsylvania recover from the flood.Questions or comments may be emailed toPaul@NEPIRC.com or call 570-819-8966,ext. 123 or 570-510-7914.

■ The Wilkes University Small BusinessDevelopment Center is available to assistsmall business owners affected by theflood. For information, call 570-408-4340.

HELP FOR BUSINESSES

PLAINS TOWNSHIP: Jessica Rydzewski takes a breather from pushing mudand water out of her family business, Academy of Golf, on River Road. Hermother, Donna, estimates about $1 million was lost in business alone.

WARREN RUDA / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

Times-Shamrock Commu-nications, parent of The

Times-Tribune,The Citizens’Voice andother news-papers and

radiostationsacross North-

eastern Pennsylvania, hasteamed up with WNEP Chan-nel 16 to collect funds to help

the American Red Cross pro-vide disaster relief to localflood victims.

Readers and viewers maydonate to the “Red Cross LocalFlood Relief” at P.O. Box 526,Scranton, PA 18501. Or, theymay donate online at Local-FloodRelief.com.

All of the money raised willbe given to local Red Crosschapters across Northeastern

and Central Pennsylvania. Bysetting up a local relief fund,the money donated will godirectly to helping local vic-tims.

“From Towanda down toTunkhannock, West Pittstonand beyond — people needsupplies, food, water or cash,”said George Lynett Jr., CEO ofTimes-Shamrock Communi-cations and publisher of The

Times-Tribune. “The localRed Cross will be able to usethese funds to help our neigh-bors and insure that 100 per-cent of these funds go rightinto the communities weserve.”

“The Red Cross is on thefront lines of disaster relief inour area, and we’re happy tobe able to help them in theirefforts,” said WNEP President

and General Manager ChuckMorgan.

The United Way of Lacka-wanna and Wayne Counties isfacilitatingtheeffortbyreceiv-ing and processing donations.Referlocal.com, a local busi-ness that offers the “Deal ofthe Day” in The Times-Tri-bune and Citizens’ Voice, isoperating the Web site thatwill collect donations online.

Times-Shamrock Commu-nications includes The Times-Tribune, The Citizens’ Voicein Wilkes-Barre, The Stan-dard-Speaker in Hazleton, TheDaily Review in Towanda,The Republican Herald inPottsville, The News-Item inShamokin and other printpublications. It also includeslocal radio stations Rock 107,FM 92.1 and ESPN Radio.

PLAINS TOWNSHIP: Dini Moze-leski, left, and Sean Silfee, own-ers of Not Just Pizza on RiverStreet, call the damage to theirbusiness ‘catastrophic.’

Times-Shamrock, newspapers team up with Red Cross for relief fund

P.O. Box 526Scranton,PA 18501

www.LocalFloodRelief.com

RedCross

Local FloodRelief

WEST PITTSTON: Michael LaNun-ziata, owner of Crest Cleaners, hasno flood insurance. ‘We are going tohave to replace everything,’ he said.

WARREN RUDA / THE CITIZENS’ VOICEWARREN RUDA / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

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AFTERMATH // EIGHTH STREET BRIDGE

Bridge of destruction

By Michael R. SisakStaff Writer

Residents in flood-ravaged WestPittston are convinced they werefighting more than just the surgingSusquehanna River as waters rose toa record 42.66-foot crest early Friday.

The Eighth Street Bridge, about 3miles south of the borough in Jen-kins Township, acted as a dam, andthe levees protecting Wilkes-Barreand surrounding communitiesforced a greater volume of waterinto riverside neighborhoods notprotected by flood walls, they said.

“We took 2 feet more of water,”West Pittston Mayor Tony Deniscosaid Monday evening, as residentsliving on streets adjacent to the riv-er continued to pile water-damageddebris onto their sidewalks for dis-posal. “Where did that come from?”

The consensus among residentsand officials in West Pittston, whichis situated north of the levee system,coalesced Monday around the twodownstream culprits: the bridge andthe levees. Engineers have yet tostudy the possible effect of the struc-tures on the flow of water into WestPittston, but anecdotal evidencepointed to a devastating impact.

Michael Butera, an attorney wholives a block away from the river onSusquehanna Avenue, said the riverdeposited 7 feet of water in his livingroom at the height of flooding — 5feet more than in the then-recordflooding from Tropical Storm Agnesin 1972.

Nearly 40 percent of the homes inWest Pittston were damaged fromflooding Thursday and Friday —more than ever before. According toan initial estimate, at least 880 homessustained flood damage, including628 with flooded basements and 236with water hitting the first floor. Atleast 16 homes, on streets closest tothe river, had water up to the secondfloor.

State Sen. John Yudichak, on atour Monday of flood-ravaged neigh-borhoods, called for an official inqui-ry into the impact the design and

construction of the Eighth StreetBridge, about 3 miles south of WestPittston, may have had on floodingin the borough.

“We’re going to definitely makethe inquiry, the formal inquiry, toask the questions that are beingasked by the residents: was theEighth Street Bridge, in its design,an issue that contributed to higherflood waters in West Pittston?” Yudi-chak said.

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, on thesame tour, said he has requested ameeting with the Army Corps ofEngineers, which engineered andbuilt the levee system, on what effectthe flood walls may have had onflooding levels in unprotected com-munities.

Jim Brozena, executive directorof the Luzerne County Flood Protec-tion Authority, and representativesfrom the Army Corps of Engineersdid not return messages Monday.

West Pittston residents did notneed an inquiry to draw their ownconclusions. As the river rose to thedeck of the Eighth Street Bridge,debris began collecting against theconcrete pillars supporting thestructure. Tree limbs, barrels andother flotsam grew into a sizeabledam, curbing the flow of the roaringriver and forcing water back towardthe shoreline.

“You can’t stop water,” Len Galli,an Exeter police officer who ownsproperties in West Pittston and Jen-kins Township, said. “You can stopfire. You can stop snow. You can’tstop water. You cannot. What areyou going to do with it? Where’s itgoing to go?”

James May, a spokesman for thestate Department of Transporta-tion, said engineers considered theflow of the river and a potential high

river level in their design of theEighth Street Bridge, a largely con-crete structure that opened in thespring.

“There’s a whole lot more thatgoes into the flow of the water besidethe height of the bridge,” May said,relaying a conversation he had withone of the bridge’s designers.

Those factors include size andshape of the piers supporting thebridge, he said. Design models pre-pared in advance of the bridge’s con-struction showed that more waterwas able to pass under the bridgethan under its predecessor, a metalstructure that sat about 3 to 5 feethigher, May said.

“In order for us to make the newbridge the same height as the oldbridge was, we would have had toraise the road on each side 3 to 4feet,” May said. “It just ended upcomplicating things a whole lotmore.”

Part of the old bridge is still stand-ing, awaiting demolition.

“The flood came at a very interest-ing time here in that we have half ofthe old bridge in,” May said. “Usual-ly we’re dealing with what happenswhen you have one bridge in thewater. Here, you have one of the big-gest floods ever and we have a bridgeand a half in the water.”

msisak@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2061

JENKINS TOWNSHIP: Comparison of height in the new Eighth Street Bridge, left, andportions of the old Eighth Street Bridge.

JENKINS TOWNSHIP: The Eighth Street Bridge is partlyunderwater Friday.

KRISTEN MULLEN / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

MICHAEL J. MULLEN / TIMES-SHAMROCK

West Pittston residents saynew Eighth Street bridgeacted as a dam, bringingfloodwaters to borough

ALSO INSIDE■ OUR VOICE: River projectionscramble shows need to updatereporting system. PAGE 16

■ KANJORSKI THANKS GOVERNMENT forfederal flood assistance. PAGE 17

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In flood-ravaged WestPittston, an elderly womanwas found dead alone in hersister’s basement on Fridayafter apparently inhaling anunknown gas that is believedto have been spawned becauseof the “high water event” inthe Wyoming Valley, LuzerneCounty Chief Deputy CoronerBill Lisman said Monday.

“That’s why we’re con-cerned with getting it out inthe media,” Lisman said. “Becareful.”

Federal and state environ-mental officials are samplingthe air in the basement andupstairs in the home after pre-liminary tests revealed therewas very little oxygen, far lessthan needed to sustain life, inthe basement of the RiverShores Court home where Car-olMikols,62,of Exeter,died.

There was nearly 3 feet ofgroundwater in the home’sbasement, although none of it

was floodwaters from theSusquehanna River, Lismansaid.

Kevin Sunday, a spokesmanwith the state Department ofEnvironmental Protection,said environmental regulatorsare also looking at 11 otherhomes in the neighborhood toensure whether whatever mayhave killed her does not creepelsewhere.

Although they do not knowwhat it is, candidates includecarbondioxide,carbonmonox-ide, methane, and hydrogensulfide, Sunday said.

Advanced testing of the airsamples are underway, alongwith samples taken from herbodyduringanautopsyonSat-urday, Lisman and Sundaysaid.

Dr. Glenda Cardillo, a publichealth physician with the stateDepartment of Health, urgedthe public to wear rubbergloves, rubber, steel-toed boots,

and masks while cleaning uptheir properties because ofpotential to contract a gastro-

intestinal illness and tetanus.“It’s an area of (public

health) concern,” she said of

coming in contact with floodwaters. “But as long as yourtaking the proper precautions,

there should be no ill ...effects.”

— Steve McConnell

AFTERMATH // WEST PITTSTON DEATH; WEST NANTICOKE RESTAURANT’S CLEANUP

WEST PITTSTON: Flowers and a cross placed by neighbors are seen at the house of Carol Mikolson Orchard Street on Monday. Mikols died last week.

BOB KALINOWSKI / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

Officials test

home where

woman died

Banko’s to share story of cleanup with VoiceBy Patrick SweetStaff Writer

PLYMOUTH TWP. — Soakedflakes of insulation, like wet wispsof cotton candy, fall to the floor ofJ.J. Banko’s Seafood Restaurant.

Wires, usually hidden in the ceil-ing, dangle like thick spiderwebsthroughout the bar.

Roughly a dozen family membersand friends shovel mud and debrisMonday from the little seafood res-taurant, which became a symbol ofdestruction during the historicflooding of the Susquehanna River.

And this was the second majorday of cleanup.

Onthecornerof Route11andSouthMill Street in the West Nanticoke areaof Plymouth Township, Banko’s res-taurant is just one of hundreds ofhomes and businesses trying to pickup the pieces. In the coming weeks,The Citizens’ Voice will follow ownerJeff Bankovich and his family andfriends as they work to restore nor-malcy to the local watering hole andtheadjacenthousestheycallhome.

“We’re focusing on getting all the

mud out,” Bankovich, who recentlyspent $200,000 renovating the res-taurant, said Monday afternoon.“Then we want to get out all the wetinsulation.”

He hopes to open the bar in threeto four weeks, but is taking it oneday at a time. “We’re not in a realbig rush,” Bankovich said. “Wewant to make sure we do it right.”

A small mountain of debris sitsoutside the restaurant. Several of

Bankovich’s friends pile wet insula-tion into wheelbarrows while oth-ers use power washers to pushgrime from the main dining area.

Brian Fenner usually spends hisdays working with concrete. Afriend of Bankovich, though, the 35-year-old spent Monday working inthe restaurant’s rafters.

“I’m the ceiling guy,” Fenner saidwith a smile. Work has been slow, headded, so he decided to lend a hand

where he was needed. “I’ve got totake care of my local watering hole.If I don’t have work, I’ll be here.”

For the gang of workers on Mon-day, helping Bankovich was an easydecision.

“(Bankovich) would do anythingfor anybody,” Fenner said. “If hewasn’t the kind of person he was,he wouldn’t have these guys work-ing here.”

Members of the Mountain TopFire Co. took a break from cleaningdust-laden roadways to blast awaymud and mess from the front of therestaurant. The company was one ofseveral lending a hand in the town-ship over the past several days.

“Everything you guys have done,it’s been fantastic,” PlymouthTownship Deputy Fire Chief BarryLore told crews in the company’struck bay.

Around 2:30 p.m., many of thevolunteer companies helped emp-ty a large Budget truck of RedCross cleanup kits into the Til-bury Fire Co. Hall.

psweet@citizensvoice.com, 570-763-9704MARK MORAN / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

MARK MORAN / THE CITIZENS’ VOICE

WEST NANTICOKE: JeffBankovich hopes to openhis family’s restaurantBanko’s in four weeks.

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AFTERMATH // SCHOOLS

The Citizens’ Voice wants tohear from you about any aspectof our coverage. And we’reinterested in news of all sortsabout local people and thecommunities we cover. We have

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Volume 33, Issue 351

September 13, 2011

Follow @CitizensVoiceon Twitter.

Schools announce schedule changesThe following Luzerne

County school districts haveannounced schedule changesdue to flood damage toroads, bridges and schoolbuildings:

■ Northwest Area

School District: Classesat all schools will resumetoday. Any parent, guardianor student with transportationissues related to the floodingshould call 542-4126,

ext. 1006, so that theirtransportation needs can bemet.

■ Wyoming Area School

District schools will beclosed for students throughFriday. Schools will reopen forstudents on Monday, Sept.19. The teacher in-servicescheduled for Sept. 19 will beheld on Friday.

■ Wyoming Valley West

School District will be

open to all students and staffbeginning today. All schoolswill be open. On Tuesday only,the high school will dismissat 2:05 p.m. and the MiddleSchool will dismiss at 2:45p.m. The elementary schoolswill dismiss at regular times.

Scranton Diocese,Holy Redeemer System

■ Holy Rosary, Duryea,

has sustained damage

because of the flood andis closed through Friday.Diocesan officials announcedMonday that classes willresume Monday, Sept. 19, at atemporary location, the formerSt. Mary’s Elementary Schoolat 742 Spring St., Avoca. Allparents of children who attendschool at Holy Rosary areinvited to a parent meetingtoday at 7 p.m. at SacredHeart of Jesus Church, 529

Stephenson St., Duryea.■ Wyoming Area

Catholic, Exeter, is closedthrough Friday. Decisionsmade by the Wyoming AreaSchool District will determinewhen classes will resume,which is scheduled forMonday, Sept. 19.

■ Good Shepherd

Academy, Kingston, willresume classes today.

– Compiled from staff reports

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AFTERMATH // HANOVER TOWNSHIP, DURYEA

By Denis J. O’MalleyStaff Writer

DURYEA — With the waterout of the way, borough resi-dents on Monday began thework of clearing their side-walks of the flood of debrisripped, dragged and heavedfrom their homes over theweekend.

Mountains of mud-coveredbicycles, water-logged book-cases, soaked sofas and everystyle of chair imaginablelined curbs down the lengthof Chittenden Street, stillgrowing Monday as residentscontinuously walked in andout of their front doors witharms full of anything andeverything once held in thehomes behind them.

“We’re gutting from theceiling down,” said JosephSchmidt of his home at 108Main St. “We’re going to guteverything, let the house dryout , re -sheetrock andrebuild.”

Floodwaters consumed“everything up to the door-knobs” in the Main Streethome he has lived in for 30years and, as was the case forhundreds of his neighbors onMonday, everything had to go.

The must of an atticuntouched for years filled theair in the northern side ofDuryea as the sun beat on thepiles of saturated insulation,sheetrock soaked with flood-water and reams upon reamsof carpeting ripped fromhomes over the weekend.

And there was no relieffrom the odor indoors.

“When I walked in thismorning it stunk,” said Nan-cy Parrick of 101 Main St.

Parrick walked throughthe rooms of her home’s firstfloor, all of them stripped to

their water-stained walls,over floors caked with mud,amid a stench underscoringthe borough’s sewage prob-lems caused when the LowerLackawanna Valley SanitaryAuthority plant on CoxtonRoad went underwater onThursday.

“I’m not coming back,”Parrick said, explaining thatshe has already rented a fur-nished home in Old Forge.

Outside of the soddenstructure she called home forall her life until last week,Parrick picked through thepiles of ruined furniture,appliances and anything elseshe had had inside.

Stacks and stacks of booksshe used as references for herantique-collecting hobby.

A roll-top desk from 1843,its aged wood warped and

buckling as the afternoonsun beat on the water-loggedbeams.

“This was all beautiful fur-niture,” she said.

But for all their troubles, atleast the residents of theChittenden Street area hadhelp.

Just as the afternoon’sbeating sun burnt throughthe morning fog on Monday,a welcome relief from theheat rolled down the street.

“Red Cross is here withfo o d a n d w at e r, ” t h eannouncement blared fromthe American Red CrossDisaster Relief Truck serv-ing water, fruit and trays ofravioli to residents cleaningout their homes.

Dave Bartuska, a residentof Coxton Road in the bor-ough, was just one of hun-

dreds of hands carrying fur-niture and ripping carpetingand sheetrock from the homesof those who may not havebeen able to do so themselves.

“I care about every singleperson down here that I’mworking for,” Bartuska saidas his partner called to himto move on to the next houseon their list.

And as the debris piledever higher on curbs through-out the neighborhood, a slewof bulldozers taxied piles ofthe ruined homes’ insides toa line of waiting dumptrucks, capping off the des-perately needed team effort.

“It’s only my husband andI so that’s the tough part,d o i n g i t a l o n e, ” s a i dSchmidt’s wife, Sharon.

domalley@timesshamrock.com

Duryea digs out

Waste companysustains $1Min flood damage

A waste and recyclinghauler based in HanoverTownship sustained about$1 million in damage due tothe record flooding that hitthe area.

Seven garbage haulers andthe maintenance building atJ.P. Mascaro and Sons on theSans Souci Parkway wereruined, said Mike Mascaro, acompany spokesman.

“There was not enoughnotice,” Mascaro said. “Thewater never came this highin 1972.”

Mascaro described thecompany’s woes to the mediawhile addressing a nearbyresident’s concerns aboutstreams of recyclables thatfloated away from the facilityand littered the residentialneighborhood and woodedarea nearby.

The area affected is nearthe Nanticoke and HanoverTownship border, which sawunprecedented floodwaters.

John Bienick, 62, of LoomisStreet, confronted Mascaroalong the Sans Souci Parkwayand said the company “shouldhave had a contingency plan”to prevent the release of any-thing on its property.

“We were literally watchingtons of garbage,” Bienick, 62,of Loomis Street said. “It wasa torrent — a raging creek.”

Mascaro said the watersrose so fast that employeesbarely had enough time toretrievetheirvehiclesandflee.

He said absolutely no garbageescaped because the HanoverTownship site is not a wastedrop-off center, and the wastepackers undergoing mainte-nance were sealed. The centeronly houses the maintenancegarage and the recycling cen-ter, he said. In addition, theonly recyclables to wash awaywere ones placed in the resi-dential drop-off Dumpstersnear the entrance, he said.

Mascaro sent crews towork along Loomis Street toclear the items.

Nearby on the Sans SouciParkway, Jennie Kanjorski ofA & J’s Produce lost a signifi-cant amount of produce andone of her coolers flooded.

“People don’t realize whatis costs to put food on the tablethese days. Fertilizer goes up,and gas prices go up. And theytake the farmer for a badfarmer,” Kanjorski said.

— Bob Kalinowski

DURYEA: Nancy Parrick prepares to leave her lifelong residence at 101Main St. with her daughter, Lori Mascaro of Old Forge, on Monday afterfloodwaters damaged her home.

JAKE DANNA STEVENS / TMES-SHAMROCK

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AFTERMATH // FLOOD-RELATED CRIME

By Bob KalinowskiStaff Writer

PoliceacrossLuzerneCoun-ty charged at least 12 peoplewith looting during the evacu-ation period and floodingemergency caused by therecord rise of the Susquehan-na River.

Luzerne County DistrictAttorney Jackie Musto Carrollon Monday called the allegedlooting “despicable” andpledgedavigorousprosecution.“People have been victimizedenough by the flooding. Theydon’t need this on top of that. Ithink it’s despicable that peoplewouldtakeadvantageof peoplein this situation,” Musto Car-roll said. “The police are beingvigilant and these case will beprosecuted fully. These peoplewill have to answer for whattheyhavedone.”

The charge for theft during anatural disaster automaticallymakes the charge a second-degree felony, punishable by upto10yearsinprison,shesaid.

Those arrested include:■ Maurice Barnes, 28, 264

High St., Wilkes-Barre■ William Gronosky, 28, of

326 Carey Ave., Wilkes-Barre■ Justin Haden, 20, of 82 S.

Main St., Wilkes-Barre■ Randy Jones, 35, of 141

Franklin St., Plymouth■ Adam Kuren, 27, no

known address■ Terrance Schell, 28, of 141

Franklin St., Plymouth■CharlesWickiserIII,21,of

463 Woodlawn Ave., Kingston■ Kevin Williams, 29, of 631

Gilham St., Philadelphia■ Christopher Wilson, 40, of

83 Eley St., Kingston■ Brenda Wolfe, 29, of 71

Eley St., Kingston■ Marie C. Zuccaro, 32, of 83

Eley St., Kingston■ A 17-year-old juvenile

from Wilkes-BarreAccordingtovariousreports

frompoliceinKingston,Nanti-coke, Plymouth and Wilkes-Barre:

■ On Thursday around 8:45p.m., police arrested Haden andWickiser after a homeowner at48½PennSt.inKingstoncaughtthem inside his residence. Bothwere charged with criminaltrespass. Haden was jailed on$20,000bail,whileWickiserwasjailedon$75,000bail.

■ On Friday around 11 a.m.,police arrested Kuren for

breaking into 741 S. ProspectSt. in Nanticoke. He wascaught in the basement. Whilethe property was not in theflood zone, Kuren admitted hewas trying to capitalize on theflood emergency, police said. “Ibelieve he was taking advan-tage of the situation,” saidNanticokepoliceCapt.WilliamShultz. “He did admit he knewa flood was going on. He did itduring a natural disaster.”Charged with burglary, tres-passing and theft, Kuren wasjailed on $75,000 cash bail.

■ On Friday around 12:45p.m.,policepatrollingtheevacu-ated flood zone in Wilkes-Barrewitnessed Maurice Barnes anda juvenile fleeing on Plymouth

Avenue. Policesoon foundthem hidingbehind a shedin the area of108 Diebel Ave.Policesaidtheyf o u n d t woheavy bagsnear them con-taining valu-ables takenfrom homes inthe evacuatedflood zone,including cashand a laptopc o m p u t e r.Barnes, whowas chargedwith burglary,trespassinga n d t h e f t ,remainedjailedtoday in thecounty prisonin lieu of$50,000 bail.The juvenile

was charged with receiving sto-len property and possessinginstrumentsof acrime.

■ On Friday afternoon,Plymouth police learned of abreak-in at 30 E. Railroad St.and then another at 25 Down-ingSt.Twodayslater,awomancameforwardtosayJonessenther a message that he needshelp in getting rid of stolenguns. Police later performed asearchwarrantat141FranklinSt., where Schell and Joneslive. Police found a shotgun,two rifles, a lock box contain-ing six watches, a guitar, a lap-top computer, a desktop com-puter,ajigsaw,acircularsaw,adigital camera and comic bookcollection. Acquaintances of

JonesandSchellsaidtheystolethe items after saying theyweregoingforawalkto“checkon the river level.” Jones andSchell are charged with multi-ple counts of burglary, theft,trespassing, receiving stoleproperty and conspiracy. Theywere jailed in lieu of $20,000cash bail.

■ Around 12:20 p.m. on Sat-urday, Kingston police respond-ed to a report of neighborsarguinganduncoveredthebur-glary of 73 Eley St. Police saidthey learned Wilson, Wolfe and

Zuccarro, neighbors of the vic-tim, conspired to steal a 42-inchplasma television, a desktopcomputer, $1,000 worth ofDVDs, children’s toys, a videogame system, $450 in videogames and a DVD player. Theitems were located inside 83Eley St., police said. Police saidWolfe was supposed to bewatching the vacant home dur-ing the evacuation. The sus-pectsarechargedwithburglary,conspiracy, theft and revivingstolen property. All three werejailedinlieuof $30,000bail.

■ On Sunday around 11:25p.m., police patrolling the floodzone in Wilkes-Barre wit-nessedGronoskyandWilliams

fleeingtherearof 48BrooksideSt. When police stopped themen, Gronosky said a friendtold him to “go into that houseand check for flood damage.”Police then saw the door to thehome was forced open and theframe was damaged. Officersentered the residence andlocated the homeowner, whowas sleeping upstairs. Thehomeowner said he didn’tknow the suspects and theywere not given permission toenter his home. Gronosky andWilliams were charged withburglary, trespassing and loi-tering and prowling at night-time. They were jailed in lieuof $10,000 cash bail.

Barnes Gronosky Haden

Zuccaro

Wickiser Williams

Wilson Wolfe

Kuren

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AFTERMATH // ONE FAMILY’S STORY

Duryea family begins picking up the piecesBy Denis J. O’MalleyStaff Writer

Every morning NoreenCollins leaves a message forher 5-year-old son to wake upto on his dry-erase board.

On an easel atop a barefloor stripped of floodwater-soaked carpeting on Monday,the simple drawing of a raincloud below the word“Wednesday” stood as anominous reminder of justhow much the Collins’ liveshad changed in the five dayssince her last scrawl.

“That’s why I didn’t eraseit,” Mrs. Collins said.

Just outside their 89 Chit-tenden St. home, Mrs. Col-lins’ husband, Matt, and herbrother, Jim Collins, pulledapart the home’s woodendeck and discarded its piecesin the rear of the yard alongthe levee that betrayed them.

The simple task was only apreliminary step toward themonumental chore ahead ofthem — rebuilding one sideof the home’s foundationblown into its cellar andanother cracked and buck-ling against the pressure ofsaturated soil.

“Nobody here ever thoughtthey’d get flooded,” Matt Col-lins said.

But when National Guards-men came knocking at theirfront door with evacuationorders Thursday evening, theonly thought the Collinseshad was to get out beforesomething they did not wanttheir young son to see couldhappen.

“We didn’t have time to doanything,” Mrs. Collins said.

Before they returned to the

home on Saturday, Matt Col-lins heard what had hap-pened to his home’s founda-tion at the borough building.

“I started crying before weeven got to our house,” Mrs.Collins said. “I didn’t knowhow I was going to tell my lit-tle boy.”

Prohibited from enteringthe home teetering on twosecure foundation walls anda third buckling along therear of the home, Matt andJim Collins, Lee Breymeier

of Country Mason and acrew from Bejeski Construc-tion started sucking waterfrom the cellar with fivepumps.

Once the water level hadfallen to about one foot, themen jumped inside and dugaway enough debris to seteight support jacks to keepthe home from falling in onitself.

“I had to put them in or thehouse would’ve gone down,”Breymeier said.

With the home secured,the Collinses turned theirattention inside and spentthe rest of the weekend tear-ing up carpet, pulling outruined furniture and power-washing the first floor of thehome.

“They practically savedour house,” Mrs. Collinssaid.

With the first floor emptiedand cleaned as best it couldbe, the Collinses then movedthe contents of their secondfloor into a trailer a friendloaned them to prevent theirclothes and furniture fromtaking on the smell of dieselfuel rising from the water-logged first floor.

And though their housestood only for the jacks hold-

ing it over its destroyed foun-dation, it was the small roomin the front of the home Mrs.Collins had made a library offor her son, Ryan, thatseemed to comprise the mostsignificant damage.

“That was completelywiped away,” Mrs. Collinssaid of the train set and book-cases filled with children’sliterature her son enjoyed somuch. “That was probablyour most treasured room inthe house.”

On Monday, the Collinsesbegan the day with Breymei-er, surveying the extent of thedamage to the home’s founda-tion and deciding what theirfirst step would be.

The demolished founda-tion wall along the home’swestern side would, ofcourse, have to be rebuilt, butso too would the home’s rearfoundation wall, which onlysurvived the floodwater’spressure and the weight ofthe teetering house thanks tothe concrete casing of thehome’s Bilco doors bolted tothe rear of the building,Breymeier said.

“That actually saved thehouse, really,” he said.

JAKE DANNA STEVENS / TIMES-SHAMROCK

‘I started cryingbefore we even

got to our house. Ididn’t know how I

was going to tell mylittle boy.’

NOREEN COLLINSDuryea resident

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AFTERMATH // DONATIONS & ASSISTANCE

Luzerne County residentsand business owners areencouraged to photographand document flood damageto their properties to help withassessments that could lead tofederal assistance, state Rep.Phyllis Mundy said in a state-ment Monday.

Each municipality will col-lect damage reports and for-ward them to Luzerne Countyfor submission to the Pennsyl-vania Emergency Manage-ment Agency. PEMA compilesthe totals and send them toFederal Emergency Manage-ment Agency to be consideredas part of the state’s requestfor a federal disaster declara-tion, the news release said.

“In addition, we expectlocal, county, state and federalteams to conduct damageassessments as soon as it issafe to do so,” Mundy said.“They will need that informa-tion if there is a federal disas-ter declaration that includesIndividual Assistance.”

Helping flood victims

Cleaning-supply kits areavailable at the rear entranceof the Wyoming Valley chap-ter of the American RedCross, 256 N. Sherman St., Wil-kes-Barre, until supplies areexhausted.

Nationwide will have ahumanitarian relief team inExeter on Tuesday to providewater, ice and personal careitems to flood victims. Therelief effort runs from 10 a.m.to 3 p.m. at Barber Ford, 962Wyoming Ave.

Wyoming Borough is coor-dinating a program with Ger-rity’s Supermarkets and the

Wyoming Price Chopper,accordingtoMayorBobBoyer.Individuals who wish to aidlocal flood victims may pur-chase cleaning supplies anddonate them at the stores. Col-lection carts are located at thefront of the store in all Gerri-ty’s locations and at the Wyo-ming Price Chopper. Request-ed items include bleach, all-purpose cleaners, gloves,mops and brooms. Gerrity’swill also collect and match alldonations made in their storesto the American Red Cross.Gerrity’s stores at 2280 SansSouci Parkway, HanoverTownship;2020WyomingAve.,Wyoming, and 801-805 Wyo-ming Ave., West Pittston wereevacuated during the floodingthreat. All three are nowreopened.

The Greater Wilkes-BarreChamber has established awebsite and phone line toassist businesses affected bythe disaster and businessesseeking to help with aid. Formore information, visithttp://GWBRecovery.org orcall 570-266-7626.

The Senior Expo set for

Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. at the 109th Field Artil-lery Armory in Wilkes-Barrewill be held as scheduled,according to a joint newsrelease from state Sens. LisaBaker, R-Lehman Township,and John Yudichak, D-Nanti-coke. The expo will featuredozens of exhibitors to pro-videinformationonprogramsand services available to thearea’s older residents. It willalso include information forflood victims on what servicesare available.

A flood victim fundraiserwill be held through Thursdayat Catalanello Chiropracticand Fitness Center, 190 S. Riv-er St., Plains, 570-970-4076,www.catchirofit.com. All pro-ceeds will benefit the RedCross Wyoming Valley Chap-ter.Each$10donationincludesa 15-minute massage or 1-month use of fitness center or

aK-LaserTreatment.Each$20donation includes a 30-minutemassage.

The American Red Crosshas disaster cleanup kits avail-able at the Plymouth Town-ship municipal building, 925W. Main St., and the Tilburyfire station on East PoplarStreet for residents affected byflooding. The Red Cross is alsoproviding meals at the fire sta-tion.

Residents are reminded tocontact their insurance com-panies immediately, if theyhave not already done so, andtake photographs of flooddamage to their homes. Placedebris at curbside. Reportlicense plate numbers of loot-ers to the state police. Insur-ance companies may need tosee the items.

Plymouth Township Super-visor Chairwoman Gale Con-rad said a special township

meeting will be held nextweek.

Where to send donations

The Wyoming Valley chap-ter of the American RedCross seeks donations to helpwith the costs associatedwith Susquehanna Riverflood. To donate:

■ Write checks to the Wyo-ming Valley chapter of theAmerican Red Cross at 256 N.Sherman St., Wilkes-Barre,PA 18702.

■ Text redcross to 90999 todonate $10.

■ Online at www.redcross.org.

Financial donations can besent to the Salvation Army at17 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Wil-kes-Barre, PA 18701 or textedto 80888.

Beware of fraud

Always ask for identifica-tion if someone approachesyou about personal or busi-ness disaster losses, advisesthe Federal Emergency Man-agement Agency. If the personclaims to be with a govern-ment agency, they should havean official ID in plain sight.Insurance adjusters and localbuilding inspectors shouldalso be able to provide identifi-cation upon request, FEMAsaid in a news release.

“It is a double tragedy tobecome a victim of fraud aftersuffering the effects of a disas-ter. But disaster survivorsbecome prime targets forfraud, identity theft and othercrimes linked to the event,”Federal Coordinating OfficerThomas J. McCool said in anews release Monday.

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AFTERMATH // RECOVERY CENTERS

By Robert SwiftHarrisburg Bureau Chief

HARRISBURG — State offi-cials moved on a broad frontMonday to tackle an array ofproblems resulting from thewidespread flooding in theSusquehanna River Basin,including helping displacedpeople find housing and fixingdamaged roads so medicalemergency crews can reachstranded communities.

“There are thousands ofPennsylvanians right nowwho do not have homes,” saidLt. Gov. Jim Cawley, named tohead a governor’s disasterrecovery task force during acabinet meeting. “Some ofthem don’t have jobs to go to.”

As a first step, the Pennsyl-vania Emergency Manage-ment Agency plans to estab-lish mobile disaster recoverycenters in four NortheasternPennsylvania counties and incentral Pennsylvania byWednesday.

These mobile centers willbe housed in trailers at loca-tions yet to be announced inLuzerne, Wyoming, Bradfordand Columbia counties, . Themobile centers will then be

upgraded into permanent cen-ters envisioned as a “one-shopstop” to provide federal andstate disaster relief to individ-uals and business owners,said Cawley.

Gov. Tom Corbett said hehas received assurances thatPresident Barack Obama willsoon sign Pennsylvania’srequest for a presidentialmajor disaster declaration forTropical Storm Lee floodingin 44 of the state’s 67 counties.This would be in addition to

the more limited emergencydeclaration already made bythe president, and pave theway for several types of feder-al aid, including housing forup to 18 months to displacedindividuals, grants to individ-uals to meet disaster-relatedneeds and necessary expensesnot covered by insurance andlow-interest disaster loans tobusinesses for property lossand economic losses.

With housing needs gettingspecial attention due to

reports of some 2,000 homeshaving received major dam-ages or being destroyed, Caw-ley said a special toll-free hot-line number at 1-877-428-8844and web site at www.PAHous-ingSearch.com have been setup to match displaced individ-uals with landlords who havehouses or apartments forrent.

Initial estimates place dam-ages to the state highway sys-tem in a wide range of $150million to $400 million, said

state Transportation Secre-tary Barry Schoch.

TheTransportationDepart-ment is awarding emergencycontracts to reopen damagedroads in Bradford and Sulli-van counties and the Blooms-burg and Montoursville areasso medical emergency crewscan reach stranded residents,said Schoch.

Officials have determinedthat at least nine bridges willneed full replacement as roadand bridge inspections con-

tinue into next week, he add-ed. Pennsylvania NationalGuard troops are providingsecurity in 27 NortheasternPennsylvania communities,said Maj. Gen. Wesley Craig,the state adjutant general.Some 1,400 Guard soldiers arestill on duty. Some 400 Guardvehicles and eight aircraft,including Blackhawk and Chi-nook helicopters, have beenused during more than 500water-rescue missions, headded.

Four mobile recovery centers due in NEPA

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