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Greene County struggled to recover from storms

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WAYNESBURG – It was a common sight to see “for sale” signs popping up in the spring of 2005 in storm-ravaged areas of Greene County. Many homeowners simply had enough.

When Hurricane Ivan dumped about 6 inches of rain on Greene County in September 2004, many residents were still recovering from a Nov. 19, 2003, storm that, while dumping 2 inches less of rain, left major damage in its wake.

“The storm that happened in November was actually worse than Ivan. People were caught more off guard with it,” said Jeff Marshall, chief clerk of Greene County, who was the head of emergency management services for the county at the time.

Following Ivan, a state of emergency was quickly declared by Greene County commissioners and, unlike the November 2003 storm, federal aid was available. Home and business owners were offered grants and low-interest loans to help in the recovery.

“The November storm seemed to be in more of an isolated area but with greater impact there,” Marshall said. “Because Ivan had a much larger impact area of basically the East Coast, FEMA was more willing to make funds available. We had very similar damages as far as what people experienced (between the two storms), but they would not help with the November storm.”

Ivan hit Greene County about 3:30 p.m. Sept. 17, and, by the time people were leaving work, roads started to flood. Before the night was over, every volunteer fire department in the county was called to assist.

They rescued motorists from cars stranded in rushing water, pumped basements, turned electricity off to flooded houses and checked on the well-being of many.

More than 300 homes and businesses reported damage with the hardest hit area located along the path of Ten Mile Creek. Residents forced from their homes stayed in local hotels, temporary shelters in the basement of the 4-H building at Greene County Fairgrounds, St. Ann Church and East Franklin Grange.

The Freedom Bridge in Morrisville was under water, and water raced inside the former Long John Silver’s restaurant, now site of Walgreens Pharmacy, and McDonald’s – at its previous location closer to the bridge. Waters in Morrisville didn’t subside until Saturday morning.

In Waynesburg, homes and businesses on Lincoln, Elm and First streets were damaged.

The swift-moving water carried debris across the football field at Waynesburg University and plastered it to its fence.

Compared to the November storm, waters in Waynesburg’s south side rose 2 to 5 feet higher, entering the first and even second floors of some homes.

Phyllis Squires, of 346 E. Lincoln St., said after Ivan she just recovered from the 2003 storm. Squires had a new furnace, new carpet, and freshly painted walls when Ivan pushed three feet of water into the first floor of her home.

Only one home was reported destroyed – a mobile home near Squires’ residence was pushed over by rushing waters.

The Waynesburg Agway store sustained $30,000 damage in the 2003 storm. Ivan caused four times more damage.

In Rogersville, flooding from Ivan caused $70,000 of damage to West Greene School District’s administration building. The heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, wiring, carpet and flooring needed replaced.

Ivan dealt a fatal blow to 89-year old Preachers Road Bridge over Ten Mile Creek in Franklin Township. The bridge, which fell into disrepair, was completely submerged. It was deemed structurally unsafe and closed.

The state Department of Transportation estimated about 17 percent of county roads were closed at some point that Friday night.

The effects of Ivan were exacerbated when another 4-inch deluge hit the county in January 2005. The three storms combined to cause more than $5 million in damages to Greene County roadways.

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