Cleanup continues after flash flooding in Unity's village of Dorothy

Peggy Gross watched as an antique sewing machine that belonged to her great-grandmother was carried out of her flood-ravaged Unity home.

“Oh, that breaks my heart. You have no idea how old that is,” she said while standing under the shade of a tree in the front yard.

Bags of trash sat along the road in the village of Dorothy holding Gross’ belongings. But she wasn’t worried — her son’s home next door was much more important.

“We’re determined to save his house,” she said.

That determination spilled throughout her neighborhood as droves of volunteers gathered over the weekend and on Monday to help residents of the small community off Route 981 clean up from Friday’s flash flooding. Meanwhile, information for a damage assessment report was gathered by officials with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety.

The Latrobe area received the heaviest rainfall reported in Westmoreland County at 1.57 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Other rainfall reports from the county included Jeannette, 1.42 inches; Youngstown, 1.13 inches; and Greensburg, 1.11 inches.

County public safety director Roland “Bud” Mertz said teams were sent out to several areas Monday, including Dorothy, Beatty Crossroads and Route 30, the village of Marguerite and White School Road. Their work will help determine whether affected residents and business owners are eligible for state programs.

He praised local help over the past few days, ranging from business donations to an individual buying pizza for an entire neighborhood.

“It’s just been a tremendous outpouring of support from the community,” Mertz said.

The American Red Cross has secured emergency shelter for displaced residents at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Donated items and money are being collected by Lloydsville Volunteer Fire Department, which helped residents with evacuation and shelter Friday.

Sinkhole opens in driveway

The storm left a sinkhole that is 9 feet deep and 15 feet wide in what had been John Lugar’s driveway connecting his home to White School Road in Unity. It created a giant headache for Lugar, who is trying to figure out whether PennDOT or Unity Township should remedy the severe runoff problem that caused collapse.

“I’m looking at $30,000, maybe $40,000” to repair the problem, Lugar said.

The property developer installed the drainage pipe 9 feet beneath his driveway, and that connects to a catch basin on his property, which drains the water from across White School Road, Lugar said. PennDOT had installed the drainage pipe underneath White School Road, said Lugar, who has lived at the home for four years.

Lugar said heavy storms in the past caused a problem with drainage, but “I just don’t feel it happened because of the flood.”

He noted that development in that section of the township has increased stormwater runoff and there is no nearby stormwater retention pond.

“I don’t think it is my responsibility,” he said. “It’s not my issue to take care of the township’s and the roadway’s water.”

The section of the driveway collapsed just a few minutes after his wife had driven over the area, Lugar said.

Unity Township Supervisor Michael O’Barto said he told Lugar to contact state Rep. Leslie Rossi, R-Unity, to have the state Department of Environmental Protection look at the problem.

Churches, neighbors help out

Pastor Doug Allen and other volunteers from Living Hope Church in nearby Whitney brought their “Church on Wheels,” a converted coach bus outfitted with tables and chairs to give workers a place to cool off. Donors have been dropping off fans and cleaning supplies as well as food.

“I think there’s been a pretty good response,” he said.

They will team up with volunteers from another area church to replace a family’s flooring this week.

Down the street, Briana Marinchek looked at the mud-covered interior of her destroyed red Volkswagen. She lived in a duplex with her grandparents, for whom she acted as caretaker.

“Thirty-three years of my life are gone,” she said.

The family was able to get her grandparents into a nursing home Monday after a rough weekend that started with evacuations from second-floor windows. Regis Marinchek said his dad grew up in the duplex, as did he.

“Overwhelming,” he said. “It’s devastating.”

They spent the weekend clearing out flooring, furniture, appliances and every last bit of anything left on the first floor. Washing machines and dryers sat on several lawns, and some vehicles had their hoods and doors open in an effort to dry them out.

Back at Gross’ house, her son Tim Miller, 41, said nothing is salvageable on the first floor at either his mother’s or brother’s homes. He was grateful for the community help and donations, but, as Mertz said, the recovery is only just starting for those whose homes were affected by flooding.

“There’s going to have to be a recovery process that’s going to be a little bit longer,” Mertz said.

Several Dorothy residents said when the village floods, the water typically recedes after hitting the front steps to their homes. Some reported a similar flood several decades ago. Water marks left behind by the most recent floodwaters showed the devastating impact weather can have on many lives.

“Can’t play with Mother Nature. You never know what hand she’s going to deal you,” Miller said.