Bucks County residents voice concerns of repeat devastating flash floods as they try to recover
YARDLEY, Pa. - It has been one month since historic and tragic flash flooding in Bucks County devastated countless families, leaving many facing high price tag repairs, like Pat Gamble, who has lived on Maplevale Drive, in Yardley, nearly three decades.
"I don’t see any rectification of this flooding or even if we get another flood, where is the water gonna go?" Gamble wondered.
She’s talking about the scene just behind her home, where exposed pipe is observed. The disturbed soil and construction equipment left behind, as she explains the Lower Makefield Township has been working to address the issue with hopes of offsetting the potential for floods by installing an additional pipe.
But, she says it’s not as fast as she would hope it to be. "I just want it fixed so we don’t flood again. Three feet of water in your basement and in your plant room is not fun and a lot of neighbors got flooded on their first floor," Gamble stated. "They have to fix this problem. We’re not in a flood zone. We’re not prone to flooding."
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"We have no sense of peace. Every time it rains, we’re looking at that drain," neighbor April Bollwage-Cloer said.
Bollwage-Cloer lives just a few doors down. She was emotional talking about just how taxing the last month has been. "The township has had their engineers review plans, they have plans that have been approved by the environmental department of the state. They’ve procured all of the pipes. They need to make the repairs."
But, she says the state Department of Conservation has not signed off on the plan for an additional pipe, a move she calls frustrating. "So much water comes to the single pipe that the township’s engineers agreed, along with the Department of Environmental Protection, that the second pipe would alleviate the overflow, which caused the collapse."
Now an uphill battle that neighbors say they fully plan to appeal, hoping the end result will be an additional pipe installed, which neighbors believe could help avoid the next flood.
"The township is doing their best effort to assist us in this and now we’re stuck," Bollwage-Cloer added.