Category: News
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Visiting Nurses Braved Flood Dangers
Read more: Visiting Nurses Braved Flood DangersWhen disaster strikes, most people are healthy enough to escape the danger on their own or take care of themselves for a few days while roads clear and the crisis passes. There are those among us however, who are less fortunate: the sick, the elderly, and the terminally ill. These are people who require constant, daily care, regardless of regional emergencies or disasters. Since 1967, the community health care workers of Columbia-Montour Home Health & Hospice, part of the Bloomsburg Health System, have provided in-home nursing and care-giving services for all of Columbia and Montour counties, as well as most…
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Plagued by Doubts, Flood Victims Begin Again
Read more: Plagued by Doubts, Flood Victims Begin AgainWarm October days, cool crisp evenings, the noise of saws and hammers, slowly dwindling piles of debris. All of these sights and sounds makes one think that a month after the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Lee, life is starting to return to normal in Bloomsburg. But for Tina Parks Erb, her husband Marlin, and their sons Kyle (17) and Walker (8), things are far from normal. For them, their neighbors in the west end of town, and all families affected by the flood, new worries and dangers abound. On Wednesday, September 7th the sheriff’s office alerted Mrs. Erb and…
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Applications Being Taken for Gary Hock Fund
Read more: Applications Being Taken for Gary Hock FundApplications are starting to be taken for flood victims who are interested in receiving grants from the Gary Hock Fund, which is being administered by the Wesley United Methodist Church and the Bloomsburg Area Community Foundation. Hock, a former Bloomsburg resident, generously donated $100,000 to the area to assist victims of flood damage. His attorney, Jack Mihalik, says the grants are aimed at folks in the flood-ravaged area of Bloomsburg, Fernville in Hemlock Township, and along Montour Township’s Perry Avenue. Applications may be filled out at the Bloomsburg YMCA from 5:30-8:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and from 4:00-6:00 on…
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The Unknowns of Condemned Homes in Fernville
Read more: The Unknowns of Condemned Homes in FernvilleIn Fernville and all over our area, we are facing a steep learning curve in order to understand the process of home condemnation after the flooding damage. Tri-County COG IBC Inspection Service (Tri County Council of Government, International Building Code) is the third-party agency that is legally responsible for inspecting flood damaged homes for the Commonwealth here in Columbia County. They cover Fernville and the 22 other municipalities surrounding Bloomsburg. The town of Bloomsburg has their own inspectors. Stephen G. Bielskie, Sr. is the person from Tri-County COG IBC whose duty it is to inspect homes and report damage levels…
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“We Wanted to Find a Way to Help.” (Stories of the Relief Effort)
Read more: “We Wanted to Find a Way to Help.” (Stories of the Relief Effort)On Friday, October 7, the Wesley United Methodist Church on Market Street in Bloomsburg served the last of its AGAPE-sponsored, post-flood lunches. By the end of that day’s service, the church and AGAPE volunteers, led by Wesley kitchen coordinator Tracy Beere, served over 17,000 meals to members of our community during this time of crisis. Some of us needed to eat because our kitchens were destroyed and we could not cook for ourselves. Some of us were hungry after a long morning of volunteering to clean-up. And some of were simply too distracted to realize we were hungry until someone…
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FEMA at Lowes through Wednesday
Read more: FEMA at Lowes through WednesdayFEMA hazard mitigation specialists are on hand through Wednesday at the Lowe’s home improvement store in Bloomsburg to provide information about ways to rebuild or remodel that can reduce the risk of damages from future disasters. They also will be there to answer questions about FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. Rebuilding or repairing a home after a disaster can be a daunting task – but, with the right information, homeowners can build back safer, smarter and stronger. FEMA specialists are available in Columbia County to provide that information through Wednesday, October 12. FEMA Mitigation Outreach Lowe’s 50 Lunger Drive Bloomsburg,…
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Alpha Phi Omega Helps Bloom Flood Victims
Read more: Alpha Phi Omega Helps Bloom Flood VictimsMolly Stout of Cherry Hill, NJ, and Janine Brunner of Slatington, PA, both members of the Bloomsburg University chapter of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, spent the afternoon of October 7th canning along Lightstreet Road in Bloomsburg. Molly and Janine, along with other members of Alpha Phi Omega, have spent the last few weeks soliciting donations for the benefit of flood victims, as well as volunteering their time clearing trash, debris and mud from the homes of local residents.
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Deadline Nears to Apply for Disaster Assistance
Read more: Deadline Nears to Apply for Disaster AssistanceThe deadline is nearing for residents and business owners who had damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee to apply for disaster assistance. The registration deadline is November 14, 2011. The deadline to submit a disaster loan application to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for disaster-related losses is also November 14, 2011. Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) urge anyone who has not applied for assistance to call FEMA if they suffered damage from the storms and live, work or own a business in one of the following counties…
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Bloom Hospital Staff Saved ER from Flooding
Read more: Bloom Hospital Staff Saved ER from FloodingAs Tropical Storm Lee rained on Bloomsburg, people worried about water rising from Fishing Creek and the Susquehanna. What would happen to the low lying areas of the community? No one gave a thought to the higher ground. Four employees of The Bloomsburg Hospital: Chuck Andreas, Scott Tanner, Brad Lurowitz, and Rick Millheim discovered that water from above is just as threatening as water from below. Their efforts in the early hours of Tuesday morning prevented the water running off the the hills above The Bloomsburg Hospital and into the Emergency Room. Andreas, Director of Security for the hospital, recalled,…
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Calling Bloomsburg Our Home
Read more: Calling Bloomsburg Our HomeOver the last month, many of us have had the chance to see both incredible destruction and an incredible outpouring of support from our friends and neighbors. As we enter Homecoming weekend, we thought it might be nice to ask people what calling Bloomsburg your home means to you and what Homecoming means in the face of the tragedy we have all suffered. Here are some responses. Feel free to add your voice by leaving a comment. Happy 2011 Homecoming to all of Bloomsburg. Our community is stronger than we ever imagined. Go Panthers and Huskies! Sadly, I will be…