A rather strange odyssey has developed around the little town of Gilberton.. what began this week as a dramatically heavy rainfall during a series of storms turned into a tragic series of events that led to a mass evacuation, and eventually water rescues of residents and pets from the town..

A rather voyeuristic tourist attraction began to take place Friday as pumps continued to fail in the town, and rumors swirled about what caused this nightmare for residents and what will come next.

This is not the first time the town has flooded.. But this time seems different. This time, some are lamenting, it seems lasting in its effects.

Dive teams were on hand to rescue residents..
PPL was busy turning off power in the town to ensure safety…

This moment, perhaps, could lead to the demise of the little town of Gilberton..

THE SKOOK BRIDGE TO NOWHERE

Both the the Shenandoah Sentinel and Skook News were on hand to cover the events and offer a series of dramatic photos, videos, and even drone footage of the scene as emergency crews struggled to attempt to mitigate the disaster that unfolded.

The events began to unfold when heavy rains created a perfect storm of problems for Gilberton. Emergency personnel were dispatched early Thursday.. they could not contain the water, more crews eventually were brought in. By Friday emergency crews from as far as New Jersey ended up becoming a part of the crisis.

According to Gilberton Fire Chief Barry Brassington, nearby construction of the Route 924 bridge has caused drainage issues and with the heavy rainfall early Thursday, the water has no where to go.. The water was so high, photos taken by Kaylee Lindemuth of the Sentinel even show the highest point of covering above ground pools!

The construction being referred to may be one of the longest bridge projects ever seen! Endless lane shuffles, reshuffles, and seemingly dangerous potholes have developed in the long lasting 924 bridge job.. Now the project is being blamed for the profound flooding that caused water rescues over the past two nights..

COAL SPEAKER has learned that all residents evacuated were placed into local hotels by the American Red Cross.. Officials still were not certain as to the source of water but theorized a mine pool. We have been told that security was provided for the town as well, as we learned that break-ins did occur overnight into homes that were left abandoned by the flood..

People across the area used social media to speculate on the cause.. this time felt different than past floods caused by a creek rising.. One person joked on Facebook today that the civil engineers and construction planners on the 924 bridge project may have gotten their degrees at Ollies Bargain Outlet..

The Pottsville REPUBLICAN’s Frank Andruscavage writes,

Brassington said firefighters spent several hours pumping from Railroad Street, using large diameter hoses, dumping the water back into the Mahanoy Creek west of the Route 924 overpass.
Charles Ross, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Forecast Office in State College, said Mahanoy City and the surrounding areas saw 3.4 inches of rain.

Brassington and Steve Bolusky, Gilberton fire chief, said the problem with water backing up is due to the ongoing bridge replacement project on Route 924. Bolusky said construction crews blocked Mahanoy Creek and installed two pipes to channel water around the base of the bridge being worked on. When the project is complete, crews will remove the pipes and re-open the creek completely.
The problem, Bolusky said, is the pipes can’t handle the amount of water from the storm system and mine water in the area.
“They’re too small, the water has no where to go,” Bolusky said.
Brassington said homes from the 100 to 500 blocks are affected and, if the water continues to rise, residents may have to be evacuated.
Bolusky and Brassington said six large pumps are being brought to the site from New Jersey to supplement one fire truck and two pumps already in use.

The REPUBLICAN goes on to report over furious residents:

Daniel J. Malloy, borough council president, is furious about pipes causing the flooding. He said borough officials asked to have a trench dug around them to allow more water to temporarily flow down the creek bed but that request was denied.
“They refused to take the pipes out or dig a trench,” said Malloy’s wife Debbie, who also serves as the borough tax collector. “They’re working (on the bridge) and watching all this happen.”
Daniel Malloy said, in the summer of 2006, a major storm system dumped 17 inches of rain in the area causing flooding in the same area. The 3 ½ inches of rain that fell Wednesday and Thursday caused the same amount of flooding, he said.
“This is as bad, if not worse than it was when we had the 17 inches of rain,” Malloy said. “They stopped the flow of the creek, that’s why we’re where we are right now.”

THE FLOOD IS SPREADING? MAIZEVILLE RESIDENTS REPORTING GREENISH WATER COMING FROM SEWERS

Even more frightening.. it seems to be spreading. Tonight it is being reported from various people that the Maizeville Sewer drains are popping up 2″ as water starts to flow into back streets..

Only moments before this story was posted, a series of Facebook posts were views by Coal Speaker in which residents of Maizeville reported that green-tinted water was coming through drainpipes on the town’s back street…

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

This is not the first time that Gilberton has flooded due to heavy rains..

Some news snippets can give us an accurate accounting of what happened before.

September 23, 1937.. the NEWS ITEM reported about some sever flooding and miners’ union agreeing to help with problems..

But it did not start in 1937.. long before cars, horse and buggies were there during floods, as a 1979 REPUBLICAN HERALD ‘glimpse into yesteryear of ‘Dewatering Ducktown” reported:

In 1972, the REPUBLICAN HERALD reported about a Gilberton flooding emergency:

June 2006 was bad:

As was September 2011:

X X X

CENTRALIA PART 2

The latest 2017 population numbers of Gilberton account these stats:

423 males lived in Gilberton, and 310 females…
The median age was 38, and the median income was $37,575..
While the median house value in Pennsylvania that year was $181,000, the value in Gilberton was $37,900..

And now.. as this flood continues to evolve, the big question people are facing: Move back? Or leave…

Mines …
Fire..
Water…

The destruction of towns.

Has Gilberton just become Centralia number 2?