Gov. Wolf tours flood damage in Connellsville, as cleanup continues

CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — As families and the community continue cleaning up, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf Friday toured the flood damage in Connellsville.

• RELATED: Fayette County hit hard by flooding; Connellsville declares state of emergency

"Looking up and down here, people are working together to dig themselves out,” Wolf said.

Wolf walked and talked to neighbors in Connellsville who have been left to clean up from this week’s devastating flood. He said he was impressed by their resiliency.

"The devastation is awful, but the sense of recovery renewal is also amazing,” he said.

Some victims, such as Susan Sandusky, don't even know if their homes can be saved. Sandusky said she and her husband shared a personal conversation and even a laugh with the governor.

"He said he was just really sorry, asked how long we lived here. We did say we lived here 36 years, and he whispered, ‘You don't look that old.’ So we had to laugh, laugh and cry,” she said.

Sandusky said the water Sunday night was gushing in from the back and the front door. She said she couldn't be saved by rescue boats. She had to just sit and wait it out until the water receded.

"It's different seeing it firsthand. I think that anybody who has any doubt, just look. I no longer have a home,” she said.

With the transpiration department repairing roads and the health department supplying tetanus shots, neighbors asked Wolf what more can be done to help in the recovery efforts.

"We're working with the federal government and the hope is to get small-business administration designation as quickly as possible to get their homes back up fast and as soon as possible,” Wolf said.

A multi-agency resource center opened Friday to assist flood victims in Connellsville and Bullskin Township.

The American Red Cross, Salvation Army and caseworkers from other agencies are available to help flood victims with recovery plans.

The center’s hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Connellsville Middle School.

Buses are also available for people in Bullskin Township who need to travel to the resource center.

Volunteers with the Red Cross have been going door to door to survey the damage. They said 135 homes have been either damaged or destroyed.

Cox Media Group