Ligonier Township residents survey flood damage

Homeowners along Loyalhanna Creek in Ligonier Township are surveying the damage caused by a flash flood Wednesday night that brought raging waters in homes and required the rescue of several residents.

Businesses and homeowners also were recovering Thursday from flooding at Latrobe's Lincoln Road Shopping Center and along nearby streets.

Carolyn Shulik and her family have the messy task of pulling up carpeting from their home along Ligonier Township's Boucher Lane, which had about 6 inches of water on the first floor.

“It's going to be a mess. We've got a lot of scrubbing” to do, Shulik said. Her house remains surrounded by pools of flood water.

Shulik was among residents of about 30 homes in the neighborhood east of Route 711 that were evacuated by swiftwater rescue teams Wednesday evening. The neighborhoods began to flood around 6 p.m., and a mandatory evacuation was issued by 9 p.m., she said.

The National Weather Service in Moon said the Ligonier area got about 1.8 inches of rain, but the Laurel Mountains east of Ligonier received 3.45 inches. That water flowed from the mountains and fed the streams that flow into the Loyalhanna Creek.

James Laughlin, 75, who has lived on Boucher Lane his entire life, said Wednesday's flooding was the worst he's seen since floods hit the region in 1954.

“You should have seen the waves coming down” through the neighborhood, Laughlin said.

Debris is strewn about yards, and fences are knocked down. A shed filled with equipment was pushed about 25 yards from its base.

Before they bought their house three years ago, Skulik said, they talked to neighbors about the likelihood of being flooded.

“We talked to the neighbors and (were told) it never goes this high,” Skulik said.

Water rescue teams from three counties — Westmore­land, Cambria and Indiana — assisted in rescuing people who were stranded in their homes as the creek overflowed its banks.

The strong current posed dangers to the rescuers, with one rubber raft capsizing as the crew rescued 85-year-old Paul Bagnall, an avid beekeeper, who was stuck in his van as it became surrounded by the water, neighbors said.

The boat was caught between a stone pillar and large fir tree when it flipped and dumped everyone out, said resident Kevin Menzie, who used his climbing skills to tie a rope from his house to the nearby tree.

That gave rescuers a line to hold so they would not be swept downstream. The team was able to right the boat and get Bagnall to safety, Menzie said.

“It happened so fast. They did a great job. This was rapids. It shows the danger of swiftwater rescues,” Menzie said.

In the Green Acres neighborhood of Ligonier Township, Sheila Grimm was upbeat as she cleaned the flooded shed in her yard, which abuts Loyalhanna Creek.

“I tell all my friends that 364 days a year, this is the nicest place to live. But, that one day is coming,” Grimm said, referring to flooding.

Their neighborhood was flooded in February and Grimm said she thought that was the bad day for the year.

“It was a million times worse yesterday (Wednesday),” Grimm said.

She said it was disconcerting to stand along Route 30 and helplessly watch the flood waters rise.

“It came up so fast. My husband had to put his chest waders on to get to our dog,” Grimm said.

“This, I'm sure, will be a record breaker,” Grimm said, recalling it was worse than flooding during Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.

Latrobe Fire Chief John Brasile said flooding at the Lincoln Road Shopping Center was the worst he could recall there. At least six businesses were affected, many experiencing first-floor flooding when water rose quickly after 3 p.m., Brasile said.

He said a wooden footbridge washed downstream from nearby Derry Township and blocked a drainage culvert along Josephine Street, near the shopping center, making the problem worse.

“One piece floated down, it was probably 10 feet long, and acted as a dam,” he said. The city's public works crew used a backhoe to remove the bridge and other debris in the vicinity.

Shopping center tenants were busy removing water and mud from their businesses.

Manager Michelle Bolish said water rose to at least six inches in the front office and rear warehouse of PaO2 Home Medical Equipment. She said employees scrambled to move equipment to an upper storage area as water rose in the parking lot.

Soon, “It was up over our front door at least eight inches and just started pouring in,” Bolish said. The carpet and furniture in the front office are a total loss, she said.

Bolish said the staff was able to clean up enough to allow patients to come in and obtain oxygen Thursday. But, she added, “We're going to have to have a disaster restoration company come in and help us.”

In the nearby China Garden restaurant, staff vacuumed water from carpeting in the dining area, but the kitchen wasn't affected, manager Jennifer Chen said. The restaurant reopened Thursday afternoon for take-out orders only and hoped to have the dining room ready for customers Friday, she said.

Floodwater reached as high as two feet in basements of some nearby homes, Brasile said.

Staff writer Jeff Himler contributed to this report. Joe Napsha is a Tribune- Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-5252 or jnapsha@tribweb.com.