But in the end, her basement was among many in the area inundated from as much as 3.5 inches of rain that fell on the county from Tuesday to Wednesday morning.
Milesburg and nearby communities in Boggs and Union townships — which suffered some of the worst local flooding — spent the day recovering from the storm.
For Jones, a musician, the damage included boxes of piano books, some from her childhood.
When the basement started flooding, Jones thought the boxes would be safe on top of the washing machine. But the water rose quicker than she expected, overwhelming her two small electric pumps. The appliance floated, the boxes toppled and the books spilled out.
“I think they’re pretty much gone,” she said.
She wasn’t sure if the washer, dryer and a freezer had survived bobbing in the chocolate-colored water — or if she wanted to plug them in to find out.
Around the borough, municipal workers cleared streets of silt and debris left after floodwaters receded, said Paula Hall, the borough secretary and treasurer. But, she said, the true damage may surface later. Water beneath the asphalt may freeze, causing the street to rise, crack and, over time, crumble.
“We had (flood) damage back in 2004, when (Hurricane) Ivan came through,” Hall said. “It’s very apparent that all the streets that were in the flooded areas are deteriorated and falling apart.”
Ivan sent water into the borough office, warping wooden furniture. This time, Hall said, only a thin sheet seeped into a rear maintenance area. By midmorning when the rain stopped, water did fill the parking lot and creep close to the borough building.
“We were fortunate because it turned over to snow and a little bit of sleet,” Hall said. “If it had stayed rain for another hour, we would have had severe flooding.”
At the Eagle Creek Mobile Home Park between Unionville and Julian, life returned to normal Thursday, the flooded yards and streets reduced to puddles.
According to resident Jackie Facer, who wasn’t among those rescued by boat, most neighbors were back home.
“I know we’ve all been able to come in,” she said.
She said water had gotten into at least one home, and several cars were damaged from being partially submerged.
Sam Ray, the owner of S&R Repairs Towing Recovery Inc. in Wingate, wiped away the last traces of Wednesday’s floods from his garage floor. He was down to about an inch and a half of mud Thursday afternoon.
“We’re still working on it,” he said. “It’s coming good.”
He also hauled in several tons of stone to repair a washed-out concrete pad and tried to salvage as many truck parts caught in the flood as he could.
In Milesburg, Jones was left with a mess and a painful discovery.
“I had saved a little box of love letters my husband gave me in high school,” Jones said. “Here they are, and they’re soaked.”
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