Cleanup effort continues at Gilberton
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SENTINEL PHOTO - Flood waters cover the intersection of Coal and Main in Gilberton on Tuesday, August 14, 2018.
By Kaylee Lindenmuth
GILBERTON – A line of dirt and debris designates the high water mark for floodwaters at Gilberton which have the main road shut down, and fire engines constantly pumping water.
After three days of rainfall, that high water mark in some places sits only inches from the current water level.
Just before 8:00pm Tuesday, flood waters stretched across Main Street at its intersection with Coal Street, which sat completely submerged from Railroad Street to one third of the way past Main towards Growler. Main Street remains closed from the 924 South ramp to the Gilberton Coal Company.
At Coal Street, a Mount Carmel fire engine, from the American Hose Co., pumped water over the Reading and Northern Railroad. A Mount Carmel firefighter noted that, since they arrived in the morning, the water had receded roughly four inches.
Standing at their fire engine, the firefighters from Northumberland County encountered knee deep water.
A block away sat Gilberton’s Continental Engine 44-15 undertaking a similar task at a submerged Beech Avenue. Yards adjacent to the roadway were also submerged.
Railroad Street, and yards fronting it, were flooded from Route 924 to half a block east of Coal Street.
At Railroad Street’s end at Route 924, firefighters from Mahanoy City and Mahanoy Plane pumped water over the railroad using both their engines and mobile pumps.
Monday, firefighters from Shenandoah Heights and Girardville used the same location.
Firefighters noted they expect the water to recede through the night.
The National Weather Service at State College predicts for Gilberton a 20% chance of rain for Wednesday and Thursday, in the form of a chance of showers and thunderstorms, a 70% chance Friday with showers likely.
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