CLEARFIELD – At their work session meeting Tuesday, the Clearfield County Commissioners applauded the county’s emergency services department, dispatchers and emergency responders for their response to the severe flash flooding Thursday night in areas of Clearfield Borough and Lawrence Township.
A total of 5.66 inches of rain – including 2.5 inches from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. Thursday night, according to AccuWeather – walloped the area. Flooding resulted in power outages, roadway closures and water rescues and displaced some area residents from their homes.
This is believed to be the worst, single-day rainstorm in the Clearfield area in decades, according to previously published GANT News reports. All three commissioners responded to the Clearfield Fire Department late Thursday night and signed a disaster relief declaration, which was ratified Tuesday.
Although recent news reports indicated disaster relief is unlikely to be available to the affected municipalities, Commissioner John A. Sobel, chair, said they must make an effort to try. “Whether those monies come in, we don’t know.
“There have been some reports that unfortunately the thresholds necessary to release the monies from the federal and state governments probably won’t be met. However, we haven’t received that definitive answer,” he said. “We have to keep with the concept that we have to at least try.”
Sobel said the county dispatchers and local emergency responders handled the massive amount of rain and flooding “magnificently.” The county, he said, certainly believes they’re deserving of recognition for their service, which was a “fine example” of emergency response.
“The end result could have been a lot worst but fortunately wasn’t due to their efforts. We’re sorry and feel very bad for people who suffered as a result of the flooding, but the results could have been much worse had they not done such a wonderful job,” Sobel said.
More specifically, the commissioners recognized the entire staff at the Clearfield County Emergency Services Department, including Joe Bigar, director; Jeremy Ruffner, 911 coordinator; Scott Mignot and Dan Spencer, deputies; and Nancy Rowles, office administrator.
They also recognized the dispatchers who fielded hundreds of calls and handled each wonderfully late Thursday night into Friday morning. “When they do a wonderful job, of course it makes it much easier on the emergency responders on the ground,” Sobel said. “We couldn’t have asked for a finer response.”
Commissioner Tony Scotto said he’s the newest commissioner and has only had opportunity to see emergency response through mock drills. However, he said this was the first time he’d actually witnessed all of the emergency services officials, firefighters, etc. performing their duties.
“To see everyone in action, the commitment of everyone, including the volunteer firefighters, was remarkable to see first-hand,” Scotto said. Commissioner Mark B. McCracken concurred, noting it was an “unexpected event” that came quickly without warning.
McCracken added, “It really showed the level of training and experience that we have with our emergency responders, our emergency management staff, etc., as well as with our 911 dispatchers and their work in fielding all of these calls, dispatching these calls and making decisions in short time.”
McCracken also made special note that it wasn’t just local emergency responders from the borough and township, as others arrived from the DuBois, Moshannon Valley and Philipsburg areas and quickly descended on the area and were more than ready to pitch in.
“For as quickly as this flood event unfolded, everyone did an outstanding job,” he said. McCracken also sympathized with the citizens who experienced significant losses from the flash flooding Thursday night. “I think we all know someone who has been affected by this.”
He said county officials have been in contact with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to see what can be done to lessen the burden of the clean-up since it appears unlikely state and federal monies will be available.
“You never want to see an event like this happen,” McCracken said, “but everyone showed their experience and training and used it well.”