Much love to those who are in town for the Little League World Series. The games are underway, and I continue to marvel at those smiling faces. Jensen is older, so we might not make it over to Lamade and Volunteer, but our televisions are tuned in to ESPN.
I also want to give some props to my guys from West End. They finished pool play at 3-1 and won their first-rounder. The 16u Allstars from Lycoming County will play again today in the Babe Ruth World Series in Branson, MO. I haven’t seen my friends for nearly two weeks, and hopefully, they can keep it going, regardless of the outcome, boys. I am super proud of you and your coaches. Well done.
Man. Last Friday was a tough one. The impacts of Tropical Storm Debby were massive. The folks up north got pounded. My neighbor’s gauge had us down for 6.25 inches. Some had more. Most of the rain came down in just an hour that morning. Several mountain streams simply could not handle it. I have never seen so much water. My brothers and sisters of Trout Run were absolutely devasted. The pictures and footage did not do her justice. It was awful. While I and many others were dealing with wet and flooded basements, we were rather fortunate. I took a drive to see some of the damage. My favorite holes vanished. It was scary.
The Trout Run Firehouse is a staple. She houses the volunteer firefighters and serves many other functions. The large hall and four-bay station took a direct hit on Friday. The waters of little Trout Run were raging. The massive building shook, and parts of her are now missing. It looked like a war zone. The boys were busy helping others. They got the call that they needed to evacuate their own building. Twenty or so folks were already there seeking shelter. Trout Run was forced to go to Hepburn. I can only imagine.
“We moved everyone safely to Hepburn,” Fire Chief Nick Smith told reporters. “I can’t even describe the noise. It felt like a bomb going off. The water came up so dang fast. We had a 10 x 20-foot slab of concrete wash away. Many logs were floating by, causing havoc. One actually penetrated our building. We had an engineer here to assess some of the damage. Half of the building is now condemned. Two of our bays, the social hall, our meeting room. That’s all gone.”
Responders did their very best. The tropical storm cut cellphone service, water, and electricity. Making it almost impossible. Many folks were in need.
“Right now, everyone is being pushed to the limit,” Smith explained. “We are doing what we can. We have had a great response and support from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. As well as our local elected officials. There is a tremendous amount of support to help us get back on our feet. It will take some time.”
The community has since rallied. Several guys and gals have stepped up to the plate. My good friends at Camp Susque are leading the way. We are so blessed to live in such a great area. The beauty is one thing. But it is her people that make this place shine. Camp Susque started a campaign to raise funds for their firefighters. They were hoping to get to $10K to help with a new building. That number is now $30,000 and climbing. Impressive.
“We have always had a great connection with the Trout Run Fire Co.” Peter Swift of Camp Susque said. “As soon as the water went down- a few of us went down to lend a hand. It was devastating. We thought we could be more helpful in other ways. It was decided to use our social media and fundraising platforms to generate funds. This was all complicated by the lack of cell service and electricity. Many of us took frequent drives to Hepburnville just to get updates and post. Word of mouth was so important to keeping the Trout Run residents informed. We are very grateful for the number of responses and will continue to help our neighbors in any way we can.”
I feel for those who were affected. I will continue to think about them daily. Floods are never fun. But they do bring out a sense of community. Debby may have slapped us in the chin, but we will rally. Cheers.
