Devastation in Central PA (Bloomsburg)

Good Morning ATS,

I haven't posted in a while and was debating this one, but I feel that this one is worth the trouble.

I'm not sure if any of you are aware, but the Tropical Storm that made its way up the east coast after Irene, really did us (Pennsylvanians) in.

People got distracted by the media blowup, that Irene would be of catastrophic proportions...

It wasn't.. or was it?

That's what I thought until I heard the following.

Bloomsburg, PA.
That's the city near by my bosses farm. My manager and boss had left work for a few weeks to tend to their farm which they do once a year, usually around the end of summer. They were there, all was well.
And then Hurricane Irene came.
I was in Philadelphia, working, the storm came, passed, and the only immediate damage I saw was the river flooding about 10 feet, which was actually pretty wild. Now at first I said, heck, there's nothing to see here. And moved on with my daily routine.
A few days go by and I hear of the Tropical Storm, nothing to worry about though, we just survived our first Category 1 Hurricane!

Then the next few days, stories started coming in, which in essence, is the only reason I decided to post. I feel compelled to bring this to your attention!
Flooding I tell you, Flooding! You all have heard about it, but did you hear about how an entire city (Bloomsburg) was closed down because of it.
In a State of Emergency because of people breaking into stores stealing everything they could get there hands on. Roads being completely washed away, highways even, homes split in half, people losing all their belongings.
The National Guard telling people they can't leave. No power, heat, electricity, water, anything? Did any of you hear the intensity and the truth of what's happening?
This was told to me first hand from my manager who went a week without power, and managed to go 10 hours out of the way before making it back to Philadelphia!
Bloomsburg's only three or so hours away, and no one in Philly even knows this!

And worst of all, theirs a Nuclear Power Plant near by! Guess what! All their Nuclear Radioactive waste has been leaking into the local streams/ ground for the past week!
Are you serious!? Every ones gonna get cancer now. Nothing on RSOE, nothing! Why's the media ignoring this, why doesn't anybody know? This is catastrophic people, it really is. And the sad part is, no one really knows whats happening.

Please ATS, please spread the word, these people need our help.

Their are elderly people, among everyone else, who are losing everything they need to survive. This is serious, and this is real, and I couldn't not post this any longer.

Thank you,

YS

Looks like word is getting around, but this is the only MSM I saw that's carrying it. I don't know if it was shown on the morning news, this is the ireport. Why would they be hiding it? ireport.cnn.com...

Here's a youtube video about it that's been posted. www.youtube.com...

Perfect example of the media hiding things, how am I supposed to help you if I don't know you need help ?

I live about 25 minutes away from here and know of some pretty bad things happening, most listed above, but what i didnt know about was the leak at the power plant.

I lived in Bloomsburg for many years and currently reside in the next town upriver. My town had some damage, Danville, the next town downriver from Bloomsburg also had extensive damage, but Bloomsburg (specifically, the west end) is an absolute mess. Fernville, the tiny town across the creek (Fishing Creek) from Bloomsburg, was hit hard, as well. There are homes caved into the ground; homes taken off the foundation, etc. The west end of Bloomsburg has always been flood-prone (Fernville, too) and has been flooded many times in the past. Some residents have had enough and will not be rebuilding. Sad, really, some of those destroyed homes were such nice places.

The Bloomsburg Fair, in existence since 1857 (if I remember correctly) will NOT be held this year, the first time since its start. The Press Enterprise, the local newspaper, had FREE online edition of its newspaper the entire week of the flood. The local community is pulling together, helping one another...even many Bloomsburg University college students, who are frequently complained about, pitched in and helped people clean out their homes.

I saw no reports about any leakage at the near-by nuclear power plant, which is actually located about 4-5 miles upriver from me. I heard no negative reports about the National Guard, either. There were reports about items that had been taken out of homes, piled on the streets (for now) being stolen. Things that had copper, etc. in them, things that could be sold for scrap. It appears that for FEMA purposes people have to prove what they lost, hence the reason these burglaries are (more-than-usual) upsetting to residents. (Before the flood, frequent reports of copper, etc. thievery was common--usually rolls of copper--along those lines).

Imo, this whole disaster just reinforces Ron Paul's stance on FEMA. Like I said, the community is pooling together, the National Guard is helping, etc. If money had been left in-state, instead of given to the Federal government, there would be no need for FEMA's assistance. The people are helping themselves...and one another!

I hope my "report" has been helpful.

You would think with all the coverage that THIS would have got some attention on national news

Why would ALL of this information be withheld??

I am angry and saddened by this.

All I keep thinking is - WHY?

Of course they cover up the nuclear incident

I don't think we know half of what is really going on!

Just an added thought, since I am disgusted that the National Guard is getting negative press: Here's a video of the National Guard performing a helicopter rescue along Fishing Creek, near Orangeville, during the recent Bloomsburg Flood (There were many boat rescues, as well):

The Susquehanna River in Eastern Pennsylvania is the most polluted in the world. Well China may be close to beating it now....


You can travel down that river and see homes septic tank pipes going straight off the banks into the River. Cities/municipalities dumping sewage down the river. Farms dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of blood from slaughterhouses onto their fields every year for fertilizer put too much Nitrogen into the river.

It filled up with silt. Heavily over the last 50 years.

Pennsylvania's Government didn't want to deal with the problem and dredge the Susquehanna so it can handle high volumes of water which means....floods in Eastern Pennsylvania will continue to get worse.

Every year there's more trash/silt that fills that river up. Eventually the Septic Tank will have to get cleaned...or she's going to flood over bad....worse every year.

reply to post by youthsavior


Thank you for posting this, I heard a similiar story last year during a flood, maybe near TN or somewhere close, and everyone keeps saying these things are not happening. If this is not happening, why do people keep saying it is-last year on a MSM cable channel, I heard an anchor say something like "Don't go around the barricades, a woman was shot earlier", do not have a source, but WHAT?? Not sure what really happened, but I was shocked to hear people were barricaded in somewhere, just like during Katrina.

I guess now it is alright to stop us from leaving a disaster zone, why would someone want to keep people in a disaster area, why not let them get out and make it easier for everyone? For some reason this really bothers me, it feels like our fellow citizens are being treated badly, and I do not like to hear that.

I will be hoping that the town is cleaned up soon, and at least the floodwater are receding.

Originally posted by summer5
You would think with all the coverage that THIS would have got some attention on national news

Why would ALL of this information be withheld??

I am angry and saddened by this.

All I keep thinking is - WHY?

Of course they cover up the nuclear incident

I don't think we know half of what is really going on!

Yes, you would think there would be some national coverage. There is, and has been, a lot of local coverage, however. As far as the ALLEGED 'nuclear incident' goes: Again, I live here in the midst of this mess. The nuclear power plant is located 4-5 miles UPRIVER from me, which is about 12-13 miles UPRIVER from Bloomsburg. The nuclear power plant was not involved in the flooding/devastation from Tropical Storm Lee. There IS no nuclear power plant incident. I understand what you're saying, and I don't trust media, either. I also realize that if there were such an incident, it would be covered up to SOME extent. It's been my experience, though, that they would report such an incident, but minimize the damage/concern---not totally ignore/not mention it at all. There was a problem at the power plant a few months' ago, however. Perhaps that's the cause of the confusion.

It seems that the flood waters are toxic, and it would be a good idea to stay out of the water.

Public Health Emergency in Pa., Toxins in Flood Waters

When an area is flooded, there is other damage in addition to just that from the water alone. The high, and sometimes forceful, water brings with it mud, fuel oil, contamination and other toxins.

Is your house at risk?

For this reason, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett stated that the area faces a public health emergency. Sewer and water systems may have been compromised.

Public Health Emergency In Pennsylvania-Toxins in Flood Water

Northeast Flood Cleanup: Toxins, Other Dangers

Accu Weather Article

reply to post by youthsavior


If it does not happen in SOCAL or the 1-95 corridor, it does not matter.

Half the Midwest could wash away down the Mississippi and it would barely register a blip on the MSM. Have a three and half acre fire near Malibu and it's wall to wall coverage.

First off, I S&F'd this so it would get the attention you desire, but having said/done that...

What has happened here that is any worse or more urgent (save the nuclear plant) than any other of the dozens of towns in the northeast that have been trashed as a result of Irene - and, already forgotten about by the MSM? Seriously - not trying to be a dick.

I didn't realize it was still that bad there. I'm in the Lehigh Valley area. I know they canceled the Bloomsburg fair.
The lehigh and Deleware rivers didn't get nearly as bad here. Thanks for the update OP.

You're right, I live an hour or so from there and had no idea..and I watch local news a few times a day. Props to you for putting the word out!

i'm fine in my area, but just a few miles away, FEMA finally showed up for those in need. i'm in the Lancaster, PA area and it's the most flooding i've ever seen. everyone (who was older than me) kept mentioning comparisons to Hurricane Agnes in 1972. i was in Denver, PA when i finally couldn't make it to my destinations because every road was flooded. i stopped at a strip of small businesses right off the main street and watched the water rise in the creek behind the businesses. it was already raging when i started recording footage on my cell. the lot i was parked in, in front of the building, started flooding...water started coming up from the sewage grates in the lot. everyone parked in the lot, including myself, moved our vehicles except for one Dodge Magnum. 45 minutes later, i recorded it floating away, crushing it's roof going under a bridge, floating away. the water stank so much. things that were in people's garages, basements, yards, etc. were floating by also. don't know if it's related, but the next day, i had to leave work as soon as i got there. i was vomiting on the way to work, @ work, and once on the way home...then i was praying to the porcelin god for about 4 to 5 more hours...nothing but bile coming up...after that, i felt better. i think the flood water got me sick. anyway, i'm gonna see if i can upload the flood vids to this thread.

reply to post by Habit4ming


Well there definitely helping the people there, no doubt about that, if they weren't then there would be a problem.

reply to post by SquirrelNutz


Well yeah, they all do need attention. People seem to forget or ignore these things are happening. This is just a first hand account, that needs the attention it deserves.

reply to post by Habit4ming


As far as the nuclear incident goes, I heard this from my manager who heard "that" from an inside source. We'll have to wait and see how this all pans out. Be aware though, this could very well have happened. Lack of coverage doesn't mean it hasn't happened. I would believe the locals who live there over the media any day.