Flood Wreaks Havoc in Wayne

      A storm hit Wayne, Pennsylvania and flooded its streets with some heavy duty rain drops.  On Monday, August 15, the residents of Wayne were in for a surprise when rain tore through the area and set things adrift in a major flood.  Seven inches of rain was falling per hour and this caused the North Wayne Field basin to rupture due to the storm on Monday night. Within this storm water retention basin are thousands of gallons of water and had this been completely destroyed, the flooding would have become even more catastrophic. Luckily emergency repairs are being done to restore this basin and to ensure that it does not release more damaging waves of water. Along with a lot of maintenance assistance, twenty-six people were in need of rescuing. During the flood displaced objects floated through the streets, the water engulfed cars and severe damage was done to people’s properties.

      Ted Merriman, who works in Eastern University’s library, is one of many local people who have been affected by this flooding.

      “I have lived a mile away from Eastern for over 20 years now and I have never seen flooding this bad,” Ted Merriman said.

      His neighbor, who has lived in the area about sixty years, has also never seen flooding quite like this.  Merriman has had the misfortune of having damage done to his house, resulting in seven feet of water flooding his basement and loss of utilities for over two weeks.  Due to the lack of gas and electricity, he has had to be displaced until his home is restored.  Hundreds of pounds of books kept in the basement had been destroyed.  Barrels that had been kept in his yard quickly filled up with water, weighing about 400 pounds, and were swept away by these rough conditions.

      “A port-a-potty was lifted up from the ground and was floating down the street because the storm was so bad” Merriman said.

      The flood has also directly affected Eastern University because the water ruined the softball field, causing softball to be cancelled this season. Wayne PA has experienced a rough end of the summer break and the aftermath will continue to require maintenance and affect the beginning of this fall semester.  According to students on campus, there are leaks in some of the dorm rooms due to the flood.

      Wayne PA has had a history of flooding.  In 2012 there was another major flood in the area.  Due to recent abnormal and unpredictable weather, it is important to know the safety procedures to follow in the case of a flood.  “Failing to evacuate flooded areas, entering flood waters, or remaining after a flood has passed can result in injury or death. Flooding is a temporary overflow of water onto land that is normally dry. Floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States,” Ready.gov, a site which is dedicated to informing citizens about what to do in different kinds of high risk situations and includes an article about to how to prepare for a flood, says.

      Flash flooding can happen at any time.  Sometimes it is not even predicted.  Because of this unpredictably, it is recommended that one should sign up for emergency warning alerts, be familiar with evacuation routes, keep important documents in waterproof containers, and have supplies ready in case of a power outage.

      When in the midst of a flood, it is recommended that one should either go towards higher ground or stay in place if travel is unsafe.  One should never drive into flood waters or over bridges above a body of water.  With these things in mind one can get through a flood safely and smartly.  Hopefully Eastern does not experience flooding like this for a long while.  Thankfully maintenance and repairs are in place and the campus is going forward despite this unpredicted problem.

Sources: Main Line Media News, Ready.gov