First Posted: 9/27/2014
It might not be able to stop the flood waters of the mighty Susquehanna River, but, in the long run, a “paper levee” can help West Pittston residents and officials get their point across.
A “levee” has been set up along Susquehanna Avenue and the surrounding areas in West Pittston in hopes of getting people to realize the need for a permanent levee to the Susquehanna River. Black and red signs proclaiming “Levee Now” and “Save Our Town” were going up all over West Pittston Saturday morning.
“We have been so impressed with the outpouring of support from the residents of West Pittston,” said Ellen Quinn, chairperson of the West Pittston Tomorrow Infrastructure Committee. “We know the residents are behind this project 100 percent. I also feel that it is time the federal, state and county governments step up and rectify the injustice that is continuing to happen in West Pittston.”
Organizers hope the signs will demonstrate the need to fill the 1.4-mile gap in the Wyoming Valley Levee System. This is part of a long-term project started by West Pittston Tomorrow, a group that was formed as a flood recovery group following the destruction of Tropical Storm Lee in 2011.
“West Pittston needs this desperately,” Mayor Tony Denisco said. “We know there is a hangup in Congress with funding, but we need it right here in West Pittston.”
Currently, West Pittston is the only town not protected by the levee system, which was rebuilt and expanded in the 1990s.
During the flood of 2011, more than 800 homes and businesses, including four churches, were under water. Demonstrators say, since the levee was rebuilt in the 90s, West Pittston is now the “spill basin” for the Wyoming Valley.
But it was the resiliency shown in the past three years that is most impressive, said West Pittston Levee Project Chairman Bob Russin.
“After Lee, the neighbors downstream, who are protected by the Wyoming Valley Levee, would drive into West Pittston and marvel at the resiliency of the people attempting to recover,” he said. “Three years later, demonstrated here today, is West Pittston’s resolve. With these signs, we are constructing our own pathetic paper levee to draw attention on an injustice.”
Judy Stevenson, a retired school teacher, had seven feet of water on the first floor of her Luzerne Avenue home in 2011. She said she’s been flooded several times in the past and she’s concerned about the loss in tax revenue caused by the number of homes, and people, being removed from West Pittston.
“They have taken down close to 10 homes,” she said. “I think it will affect our school district and community. I can see many more people not coming back to West Pittston. That’s why I’m involved with this.”
Mike Branley’s home was destroyed during the flood, causing him to relocate within the borough. It was a life-altering event, he said.
“The idea of a levee in beautiful West Pittston, at first, goes against what is cherished in town,” he said. “Nevertheless, given the magnitude of this most recent flood, we have to weigh the importance of the impact on the community. We feel it is necessary for the future of the town.”
West Pittston Borough officially requested a Section 205 study by the Army Corps of Engineers in May of this year. The analysis would provide time frames and estimates of cost. The request stalled for lack of funding. Recently, Senator Bob Casey and Congressman Matt Cartwright sponsored bills that would increase funding by $20 million for such studies.
A petition has been in the works for the past six months. It has garnered nearly 2,000 signatures and is a note to federal and state officials, urging that the borough get the same flood protection as other West Side residents. The petition can be signed online or printed and returned to the West Pittston Library, Agolino’s Restaurant, Ballyhoo Ice Cream, Cenera Auto Parts, Crest Cleaners, Miss Kim’s Coffee-to-Go or Wyoming Valley Beverage.
The petition runs through Oct. 1. Information can be found on www.wptomorrow.com.
“We’ve thrown down our marker,” West Pittston Tomorrow President Judy Aita said. “We’re going to be knocking on doors of elected officials because we want to meet them face-to-face. This is just the starting point.”
“This is a beautiful town,” Quinn said. “We are good people and we really deserve it.”
