Slippery Rock residents receive help after flash flooding
While Slippery Rock borough residents might still be recovering from a flash flood Sunday, July 5, they will not be alone in the process.
Borough Mayor Jondavid Longo shared a post on social media Wednesday asking residents who were impacted by 6 inches or more of water in essential living spaces to fill out a form that will be used to relay information to the American Red Cross.
“Most homes in the borough with basements got some water, ranging from very little to several inches. We had a number of borough residents experience flood damage in essential living areas,” he said Friday.
Slippery Rock was pelted by rainfall Sunday afternoon, causing flash flooding for dozens of residents and businesses. Longo declared a disaster emergency.
Nicole Roschella with American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania said a Red Cross disaster team met with local emergency management, the fire department, borough manager Christian Laskey and Longo to share information and discuss recovery efforts.
“To date, our disaster volunteers have completed damage assessments at more than 40 homes in Slippery Rock. We identified nine homes that were affected or majorly damaged by flooding,” she said in an email.
Roschella said the Red Cross is doing one-on-one casework with the nine households to determine what resources are available from the organization and its community partners.
“This could include direct financial assistance and help with things like tree clearing, muck outs, etc. In addition, our disaster volunteers distributed 35 kits with cleaning supplies to neighbors in the area to help them cleanup their homes,” she said.
She added that anyone who needs assistance can contact the Red Cross directly by calling 1-800-733-2767.
Longo said Friday that work to assess and assist was a comprehensive effort from borough officials, residents, business owners, first responders and others.
“It’s truly incredible to see this level of community cooperation during a time of need,” he said.
He said larger organizations are typically spread thin in terms of resources and people, making community support an essential part of a quick and effective recovery.
One community organization he highlighted was Slippery Rock United Methodist Church, which is offering free cleaning buckets, gloves, masks, garbage bags and several cleaning products specifically for cleaning after floods.
“We are grateful to everybody and anybody who offered their support, big or small,” Longo said.
