Helping out a community hit hard by flooding

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    GILBERTON, PA (WNEP) — Main Street in Gilberton has been transformed into a river.

For many, the last four days of fighting floodwaters have been nothing but devastating.

“I’ve been off and on crying,” said Kathleen Merna of Gilberton. “I find myself fortunate because I’m young, me and my wife are both in a stable position in life. We have jobs.”

Merna, who has lived in Gilberton for 15 years, said not all of her neighbors are as fortunate.

Many people who live here are retired.

“They don’t have a second chance to be able to pull money out and start over like we can,” Merna said. “But at the same time, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help them start over.”

That’s why she teamed up with borough Mayor Mary Lou Hannon to organize a collection drive.

They’re asking for donations of things like household appliances, furniture, and electronics.

The flooding started on Thursday after a minor rainstorm.

Borough officials said clogged pipes from a nearby bridge project are to blame.

“What I’m hearing right now is most of these houses are gonna be condemned, and most of them don’t have flood insurance,” Merna explained. “We always expect some flooding, but it’s never been so severe that we might lose our community over it, that it might never be the same.”

The floodwaters have started to recede here in Gilberton, but the damage is already done.

If you’d like to help Kathleen, please call her at 570-900-8344.

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