By RANDY BARTLEY
Staff writer
Almost a month after the flood that devastated sections of southern Clarion County, the extent of the damage is not known.
Clarion County Commissioner Ted Tharan Aug. 13 said the township supervisors and others are “working every day” to collect the estimates.
The damage estimates are vital so the county can submit a report to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency for review.
If the damage estimates are high enough a state disaster declaration could be issued. If the state declaration is issued additional resources could become available.
On July 19 heavy rains north of New Bethlehem caused Leisure Run to flood causing damage to homes and businesses along State Route 66 and the New Bethlehem Borough.
The flooding caused significant damage to the Redbank Valley Primary School and to houses in that neighborhood in New Bethlehem.
The flooding damaged several businesses including Char Val Candies, Drummond Veterinary Hospital, Full Throttle, Air/Tak, a storage facility and several homes.
The Redbank Valley Trail just north of New Bethlehem sustained a significant wash out which closed the trail.
Equipment storage
Clarion County continues to search for new home for its equipment.
The county had been renting the old Ford garage along U.S. Route 322 but did not exercise its option to buy the building. The county waived its option when a private entity expressed an interest in buying the building.
Tharan said the new business would be a Bobcat dealer.
Tharan said the county is currently storing its equipment at the Clarion County Park.