SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — A day after powerful storms moved through the Slippery Rock area, flooding homes and businesses, property owners are hoping to work with borough officials to find a solution to what they call “an ongoing issue.”
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Slippery Rock mayor signs declaration of disaster emergency as borough deals with storms, flooding
On Franklin Street on Monday, crews could be found at multiple properties working to dry out buildings.
“I had at least 4-5 inches throughout the basement. Things were floating,” said Donald Hilgar, whose basement flooded.
Dr. David Gordley’s dental office was one of the businesses that flooded on Sunday. He told Channel 11 he’ll have to replace the flooring of his dental practice after several inches of rain fell in a short amount of time.
“The rains come down hard, and they bring debris down with them,” Gordley said. “This basically starts filling up like a bathtub. The fact that these drains get matted up as well, and then that debris carries onto Franklin Street, that affects this entire block of people.”
Gordley said those floodwaters caused thousands of dollars in damage inside his office, saying the carpet, laminate flooring, and some computers are destroyed. He said it’s not the first time he’s had to replace them due to flooding. He told Channel 11 he’s contacted the borough several times in hopes of finding a drainage solution.
“I called our mayor this morning, JD, and I asked him for help. He assured me that at the next council meeting, this is going to become a priority and that the borough is going to bring out an exceptional engineer to help to mitigate this,” Gordley said.
Mayor JonDavid R. Longo sent Channel 11 the following statement:
“Yesterday’s intense storms caused dangerous flash flooding across Slippery Rock Borough and across the region with numerous streets becoming impassable and floodwaters entering basements in homes and commercial buildings.
I signed a Declaration of Disaster Emergency to activate and support our first responders, mobilize resources, and coordinate with Butler County and PEMA.
Our staff, Slippery Rock Borough Police and the Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Company responded immediately with an all-hands-on-deck effort.
I had a personal conversation with President Riley of Slippery Rock University and want to know that she and her team, including Slippery Rock University’s Police Department have offered their support and stand ready to assist.
I also had a conversation with the Red Cross and have invited them to Slippery Rock Borough’ s Offices to set up to greet citizens from Slippery Rock and beyond and receive their request for assistance or cleanup kits. I will publish more information about their visit as soon as it becomes available to me..
The County of Butler is directly assisting on next steps to seek information and aid from official entities higher than our local municipal level.
Right now we’re focused on recovery and public safety. Once we complete our damage assessment, we will work directly with local businesses and homeowners to identify practical mitigation measures, including infrastructure improvements to drainage and culverts.
And I want to thank every good citizen and patriot who stepped up to help their neighbors and countrymen through the storms and the damage left by them.”
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
