Tag: flood 2011
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FEMA Approves More Than $165.4 Million in Disaster Relief
Read more: FEMA Approves More Than $165.4 Million in Disaster ReliefHARRISBURG, Pa. — More than $165.4 million in disaster relief is approved for Pennsylvanians struck by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. The news was announced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA). FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program approved $107.4 Million in grants to eligible applicants for temporary housing, home repairs, personal property losses and other disaster-related needs such as medical, dental and funeral costs. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) approved close to $25 million in low-interest disaster loans and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) contributed to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s recovery…
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An Interview with Bloomsburg University President David Soltz
Read more: An Interview with Bloomsburg University President David SoltzMany of us have the impression that given a week off from school due to a natural disaster, the typical college student would go home to see family or take a road trip to visit friends. The scenario we envision would probably not include staying in a flood-ravaged town without running water and scooping sewage-laced river mud out of a home twelve blocks away from the student’s apartment. However, in the aftermath of the 2011 flood, Bloomsburg University students gave tremendously to the relief effort. In addition, the entire university community — faculty, staff, students, and administrators — came together…
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The Truth About Numbers
Read more: The Truth About NumbersWith the devastation that was brought to the region by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, it seems as though everyone has been scrambling to find statistics that accurately depict the damage that the community has endured. Statistical accuracies are proving quite elusive however, and the amount of numbers circulating about the region are enough to make one dizzy. One can look to FEMA and the number of persons who have applied for aid as a reliable source of quantifiable data from the region. Eugene Brezany, spokesman for FEMA, confirmed that as of Oct. 11th, 2,238 applications have been received…
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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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The View from Here: Todd Heiss
Read more: The View from Here: Todd HeissAs I was heading to work last evening down Main Street, I couldn’t help but notice the big yellow CAT back hoe along with several dump trucks on the west end of town. It sat on a piece of property that had been a house just over 30 days ago. They were on site to start demolishing the first of what will be many homes lost to the water. It seemed strange to see what was once someone’s home turned into a pile of rubble being hauled off to the landfill. I spoke with the foreman about the homeowner rebuilding. He replied,…
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Why Isn’t Local News More Open?
Read more: Why Isn’t Local News More Open?As a librarian at Penn State University, my job centers on helping users—students, faculty, and community members—find the information they need. Focusing on this important task for over fifteen years has given me a valuable perspective on how information is created, published, and made available. To a librarian, there’s nothing more exciting than an information challenge—helping someone find the newspaper articles or the books they need to dig deeper into a research area. During the recent Bloomsburg flood, my skills as a librarian were put to the test. I read about the Bloomsburg Press Enterprise’s paywall—re-erected after five days of…
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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…