Progress continues in Gilberton
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Coal and Main Streets in Gilberton on June 13, 2020.
GILBERTON – As night fell on Saturday, day three of flooding in Gilberton, borough officials said they were making significant progress to bring down floodwaters.
“We’re making headway, quick,” Gilberton Fire Marshal Barry Brassington told the Sentinel.
Water levels declined significantly throughout the day, leaving a trail of debris marking the high water marks along Coal Street and other alleyways.
An impromptu depth marker, a sign advertising a Continental Fire Co. hoagie sale, revealed itself after floodwaters eclipsed it Friday.
Mayor Mary Lou Hannon expressed gratitude for local businesses, such as Anthony’s in Frackville and Domino’s in Shenandoah, as well as private citizens who stopped by to drop off food and refreshments for volunteers.
“It was fabulous,” Hannon said. “I can’t say enough.”
Brassington said they nearly ran into a roadblock earlier, as the Reading, Blue Mountain, and Northern Railroad, whose branch line to Mount Carmel runs through the borough, wanted operations to cease.
“The Mayor told them we are not,” Brassington said.
Hannon explained that the railroad was concerned about the pumping operations damaging the ballast for the rail line, which Hannon said the borough worked to replace. She also said the pumping operation will continue through the night.
Hannon estimated it may take three days for the water to be completely pumped from town, and that they will move immediately into the clean-up phase at that point, hoping to enlist the help of local prisons.
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