Washington, Greene escape storm’s wrath
Washington public works employees remove a fallen tree that was blocking traffic on Tate Avenue behind Prospect Avenue in the southern section of the city Tuesday morning.
A tree fell onto this townhome in the 200 block of Persimmon Drive in North Strabane Township as a result of high winds.
While Hurricane Sandy battered the East Coast with high winds and heavy rain, Washington and Greene counties seemed to have all but escaped the storm’s fury.There were reports of only some scattered power outages in the two counties and few problems with flooding or downed trees.A flood warning for the Monongahela River was lifted late Tuesday morning, although a watch remained in effect for areas around streams and creeks.”We had minimal flooding,” said Jeff Yates, director of the Washington County’s Department of Public Safety. “We had some basements flooding when water came through the walls and a few downed wires and trees.”Some streams and creeks reached the tops of their banks but are starting to subside, he added.Yates said he was concerned Monday that the county could be hit hard by the storm.”I was worried because the weather map looked similar to the way it looked during Hurricane Ivan,” he said in reference to a major storm that crippled sections of the county eight years ago. “And we know what kind of rain Ivan put down.”The rain should subside by today, Yates said.”We had no road closures in Greene and only one in Washington,” said Jay Ofsanik, safety press officer for the state Department of Transportation’s District 12. “Most of our problems were in Westmoreland and Fayette counties with flooding and downed trees. Seven Springs had 14 inches of snow.”A portion of Courtney Hill Road in Union Township was closed due to flooding, and Hewitt Avenue in Blaine Township was closed for a time because of a downed utility line.State police were placed on alert Monday as the storm hit, said Trooper Joseph Christy, public information officer for Troop B in Washington. Everyone who was on duty, and even those troopers in the crime unit who usually wear street clothes were in uniform in case they were pressed into service on patrol.”It seems as though everyone heeded the warnings and didn’t go out unless it was necessary,” Christy said.Washington Street, a frequent trouble spot for flooding in the city of Washington, did not flood during the storm. Councilman Matt Staniszewski reported that a water pump under the street was repaired and reinstalled last week. He said some additional modifications were also made to the pump.The night was also quiet for dispatchers in Greene County.”We had three calls come in, total,” said Greg Leathers, director of the county’s emergency management agency, who helped man the 911 center Tuesday night.One of those calls was for a downed tree on Route 19, and the two others were for basement flooding in Perry Township and Rices Landing.”It was good,” Leathers said. “Everyone was prepared, and the storm was not as severe here as it was in other areas of the commonwealth. Our thoughts go out to them.”