Mold Infestation is Health Hazard

Mold is a fact of life if one lives in an old home, and for many it is nothing more than a nuisance. But in the Gustafson home in Sacred Heart, the Aspergillus mold spores are a real danger to Zachary and Ella, both who were diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) in 2008.
When Zach was hospitalized at the end of the summer his doctor discovered the six-year old had allergic broncho-pulmonary aspergillosis, meaning he was allergic to the mold in the home.
“Anything that irritates his lungs,” can be harmful, explained mother Sue.
To help battle the effects of the mold the doctors have Zach on steroids. And while they might help keep the allergy in check, the side-effects aren’t fun.
“Our six year old acts like an 80-year-old,” Sue said. Climbing the stairs at the home can be a chore, with Zach’s stiff joints. His appetite can rival his dad’s at times and he and the family have to deal with the kindergartner’s mood swings caused by the medication.
The steroids Zach is on is helping, but the mold in the home needs to be completely removed. Servicemaster came out and located the mold in several areas of the house, especially in the basement and a room upstairs that at one point had been a bathroom.
Servicemaster cleaned out the basement and the Gustafsons have begun the process of repairing the upstairs room, removing an old window and replacing the wall material, where the mold had been growing.
While the basement was scrubbed clean a watermain issue which caused water to seep back into the basement revealed pipes that needed to be replaced, adding another layer to the mold problem. To hopefully correct the problem the Gustafson are planning to dig a new basement and move the house on top of it.
“The dream is to get a new house,” said Sue, but the family has not been successful getting financing.
Sue did put in an application for ABC’s popular show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” but she isn’t waiting around for Ty Pennington to come knocking on their door. Things need to be done to the home they have, so everyone can be as healthy as possible.
Since Zach and Ella were diagnosed with CF the communities of Sacred Heart, Granite Falls and the RCW school district have stepped up.
“Their support has blown us away,” said Sue.
The Tim Orth Foundation chose the Gustafsons as one of their families in 2008, the Sacred Heart Lions club put on a benefit, as did the family’s church. And on Dec. 3 another benefit for the family will be held at the Sacred Heart Community Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., to raise money to help the family solve the mold problem. The event will include a BBQ lunch, silent auction and craft and bake sale. The event is being sponsored with supplemental funds from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans – Renville/ Redwood County Chapter. Those interested can send monetary donations to the Gustafson Fund set up at F&M Bank in Sacred Heart.
“We are much better givers than receivers,” Sue said, but eventually the family learned to let their friends and family help them. “If the community wants to love us, we should let them.”
When the CF illness entered the family many relatives wanted Sue and James to move the family closer to the cities, especially with all of the trips to Children’s Medical Center. But the couple decided against relocating.
“We are right where we need to be,” said Sue.
“We like Sacred Heart,” James added. “We want to stay here.”
The couple wants their children, including Hayley, 10 and Ayden, 8, to experience the closeness of living in a small community and to understand what it means to reach out and help people in need.
“It is so good for our kids to see that. We are some of the richest people,” in friends and family, explained Sue. “We are appreciative and totally humbled.”

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Food Court Closes After Flood

The food court at the Valley Plaza Mall is still closed for business after a water main break flooded the area.

Workers at the Valley Plaza Mall pulled an all-nighter to repair a broken water main.

The pipe busted after construction crews hit it before the mall opened Thursday morning.

The break flooded the food court and things got worse a little later when crews were repairing the line.

That's when they found a second leak.

Both leaks were fixed but the Health Department now has to test a water sample.

That process takes 24-hours so the food court won't be opened until Saturday morning if they get cleared.

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Flood Free City Hall Awaits Plan

Almost a year ago, a broken sprinkler pipe flooded Tacoma’s Old City Hall and washed away the building’s few remaining tenants.

Two of them have set up new storefronts, but it wasn’t easy. Meanwhile, the historic building and city icon sits empty.

It’s been cleaned of most of its water-damaged debris, and it has adequate heat and fire-suppression systems. But Old City Hall isn’t out of the woods. Since early this year, the owner has been working with the City of Tacoma to resolve a derelict building complaint spawned by the day-before-Thanksgiving flood.

Many of the key items have been resolved, but Seattle-based The Stratford Co. faces a Dec. 31 deadline on other items such as repairs of doors, floors, walls and ceilings.

“At this point, the building has been stabilized. It’s weather-protected at a minimum,” city code inspection supervisor Dan McConaughy said Tuesday. But by the end of the year, McConaughy said Stratford must have a plan to complete the work at 625 Commerce St.

Stratford founder and president George Webb said Monday that re-doing the interior doesn’t make sense until it’s clear who will be using the space.

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Courthouse Flood Costs $500,000 in Damage

Flooding from a broken pipe in a Pasadena Courthouse bathroom has caused an estimated $500,000 damage.

Courthouse operations are continuing normally on Monday.

Fire spokeswoman Lisa Derderian says 30 firefighters were dispatched to the six-story courthouse at 5:40 a.m. Monday when a fire alarm was activated by the flood waters.

It's not clear when the pipe ruptured but Derderian says the water may have been accumulating all weekend.

A second-floor bathroom sink pipe broke and flooded two floors. A first floor office and computers are damaged.

Damage is estimated at $250,000 to the building and $250,000 to the contents.

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Apartment Complex Fire Causes Major Damage

A fire gutted an apartment building in Graham on Thursday night just as nearby residents were winding down their Thanksgiving holiday.

The Graham Fire Department responded about 7 p.m. to 517 W. Market St.for a reported apartment fire near the intersection of Market and Elm streets. The apartment complex is operated by Quality Property Management of North Carolina, which is based in Burlington. The complex contains several two-story multi-unit buildings.

Dozens of firefighters responded to the call. Alamance County Rescue, Alamance County Emergency Services and Graham Police also responded to the scene.

By 8:15 p.m., the fire was under control but smoke continued to billow from the building. Firefighters worked their way inside the smoldering building to extinguish any hot spots that remained through the night.

Alamance County Fire Marshal David Leonard said every unit in the single apartment building sustained major fire damage. The units also sustained water and smoke damage as well.

“Things are very sketchy right now,” Leonard said. “We had a lot of fire with major damage.”

Leonard said the fire’s origin and cause was still undetermined Thursday night. There were no injuries sustained in the fire, Leonard said.

There was one man inside the apartment building living in a downstairs unit when the fire started, according to Leonard. He was questioned extensively by Graham police as the fire raged. Leonard also conducted an interview with the man after the fire was under control.

“They haven’t located anybody inside,” Leonard said. “We don’t think anybody was at home. That’s fortunate.”

Alamance County EMS Director Chuck Mancillas said his team was dispatched to the scene at 7:05 p.m. Mancillas said they first believed there was a victim inside the burning building which later proved to be false.

Several residents of the complex including Delores Enoch and Lakeina Chandler watched outside near West Market Street as firefighters battled the blaze. Their apartment building was not damaged by the fire.

Enoch and Chandler said they could first smell smoke from inside their apartment units and decided to go outside and see what was happening. Their apartment building also operated by Quality Property Management of North Carolina is adjacent to the one that caught fire. Several nearby residents said they were first alerted by the fire from a knock on their door.

“We were still relaxing for Thanksgiving when all this started,” Chandler said.

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11/25/11 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 44. West wind between 6 and 11 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 64. West wind between 6 and 9 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 44. Southwest wind between 3 and 5 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. South wind between 7 and 14 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Southwest wind between 7 and 10 mph.

Monday: A chance of showers, mainly before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 57.

Tuesday Night: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Wednesday: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 46.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48.

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Officials Mull Over Court Flooding

Officials will have to drill deeper to find out why the basement of the Muskogee County Courthouse floods after heavy rain.

Commissioners have been dealing with the problem since a major renovation in the late 1990s.

The county spent nearly $50,000 in 2008 to drill well points outside the courthouse and installed pumps to drain excess water. That process was repeated a second time, officials said.

District 1 Commissioner Gene Wallace said a number of other things have been done to correct the problem. Those efforts include “caulking and re-caulking every pipe and entry point into the courthouse.”

Although those efforts have worked to some extent, Wallace said, a permanent fix has yet to be found.

“Every time we think we have made some headway, it rains again and the courthouse floods,” Wallace said, noting that the latest incident occurred about a week ago after heavy rain blanketed the area. “We’re convinced that we need someone who has more knowledge about this than we do.”

The flooding has damaged carpeted areas, tile floors and wallboard on interior walls. Wallace said commissioners want to prevent mold from growing and spreading in affected areas. Another concern is money.

“I don’t want to be throwing good money after bad,” District 3 Commissioner Dexter Payne said. “We’ve been doing that for five years.”

Muskogee County Emergency Management Director Jeff Smith, whose office is in the basement, said the degree of flooding depends on “how much it rains and how fast it falls.”

“It seems to flood only when we get several inches of rain in a short period of time,” Smith said. “It just seems to come up between the outer walls and basement floor.”

Smith said the water typically subsides quickly. Even so, Wallace said “a solution must be found” to avoid structural deterioration that might be occurring.

“We’ve tried all the obvious fixes,” Wallace said. “Now we are going to have to look for problems that might not be so obvious.”

Ideas discussed Monday include possible consultations with a hydrologist to determine the source of the water and its path into the basement.

Wallace said some suspect rainwater that drains from the parking garage adjacent to the courthouse. But without further studies, there is no way to confirm that.

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Town Sets to Fix Leaky Pipes

September rains that sent sewage pouring into some Poolesville houses early in the month gave the town a chance to detect the source of the problem.

Some lateral pipes that connect houses to the main sewer lines have no soil under the coupling and sank as the ground settled, creating a gap between the lateral pipe and the main line, Town Commissioner Jerome Klobukowski said. Now the town will have to stabilize the pipes and reseal the couplings.

The solution will be to compact the soil, pour concrete on top and lock it together, Klobukowski said.

For 20 years, residents of some houses in the Wesmond community have seen sewage flood into their basements during heavy rainfalls.

Sewage backup occurs when sewage lines to houses are lower than the main pump lines, Town Manager Wade Yost said.

Heavy rain on Sept. 8 that flooded some house was followed by steady rain throughout the rest of the month. Although the rain later in the month did not overflow the sewage system, it offered ideal conditions for the town to send cameras into the pipes to search for cracks. Using a TV camera, the town found 92 of the 276 couplings that joined the lateral pipes to the main pipes in the Wesmond community were not aligned.

The ground has to be saturated in order to see the problem, Yost said.

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Basement Flood Closes Food Bank

More than 2 feet of water flooded the storage warehouse of the Fayette County Food Bank in Uniontown, destroying at least $30,000 worth of food.

The food was destined to be distributed to 3,000 households in Fayette County as the December distribution for struggling families, said CEO James Stark of the Fayette County Community Action Agency.

"It`s never a good time but this is probably the worst time," Stark said.

The food bank`s main storage warehouse on North Beeson Avenue was flooded with 2.5 feet of water from Redstone Creek.

Stark said he hopes to reopen the food bank, which serves 49 food pantries throughout Fayette County, next week.

The warehouse and its office area were covered with water and mud.

Stark said the flood ruined six skids of food donated by Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts who held a food collection drive. Each skid contained almost 30 boxes of food stuffed with canned vegetables and fruits, pasta and other nonperishable goods.

Elsewhere in Uniontown, the gravel under a Fay-Penn Railroad track washed out Tuesday night. South Union Township Supervisor Rick Vernon said workers were repairing the rail bed this morning.

A Fayette County Emergency Management official said there were no reports of injuries or rescues, but two businesses reported damages.

Mundel's Furniture on Connellsville reported that flooding in its basement caused some damage to inventory that was stored there.

The Auto Land Hyundai of Uniontown car dealership on Fayette Street reported its car lot was flooded.

"The waters are starting to recede now. Hopefully it's done, " Vernon said.

Vernon said the supervisors worked with the Hopwood and South Union volunteer fire departments Tuesday night to close Cinder Road, Redstone Furnace Road and a portion of Brownfield Lane for about three hours.

The roads are now reopened.

"We'd like to thank both fire departments for checking the roads and helping people pump out their basements all night," Vernon said. "They worked hard."

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11/21/11 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 36. Breezy, with a north wind between 10 and 20 mph.

Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 51. North wind around 9 mph becoming west.

Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 42. West wind around 9 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 60. West wind between 6 and 14 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. West wind between 5 and 13 mph.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 58.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 58.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 48. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 56. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 48. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 56. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Tuesday Night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

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Thieves Target Flood Victim

ale Hooper's luck has run out, for the third time this year.

In April, his Fairfield, Pa., home was destroyed during a flood, displacing him and his family. Last week, some of the few possessions he had left were stolen from his locked storage shed.

"I feel like I'm stuck in the middle of a bad country song," Hooper, a former Frederick resident, said Wednesday.

The belongings that Hooper was able to salvage from the spring flood were stored in a shed near his home, across the state line about seven miles north of Emmitsburg. Inside of the locked shed was a truck that Hooper and his son, Collin, were working on before the 16-year-old gets his license next month.

Late last week, Hooper found the lock broken off the shed and a number of his belongings missing, including the tires and stereo from his son's truck.

"It is unbelievable" was about all Hooper could say about the situation.

Still living in his neighbor's house, which sits high on a hill above Toms Creek, Hooper said others in the area have reported similar thefts.

"I don't think I'll get anything back," said Hooper, who assumes his personal effects have already been sold by the robbers.

The Fairfield Police Department is aware of the thefts, he said.

Hooper was most baffled by the missing well pipe pump, stolen along with some power tools and snow shovels. The parts of his son's truck were the major expense, Hooper said, a loss of about $1,000.

"If I get my stuff back, that's fine," he said Wednesday. "I don't care about my stuff anymore. But this carried over to my son, and that's unacceptable."

In June, after the flood, Hooper was inundated with support from family and friends, who held a "Shelter From the Storm" fundraiser with music and a yard sale.

This time, things were no different.

"Oh, my, yes," Hooper said when asked whether people are chipping in to help his family.

Some of his musician friends already donated money to Hooper after a recent gig they played together. Hooper called the assistance "very special."

"The generosity that people have shown (is) really appreciated," he said.

Despite losing his job in September, just months after being displaced by the flood, Hooper is down but not out. The musician said he is trying to do whatever he can to get his life back on track.

"It seems that everything happens at one time," he said.

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Insurance Refusing to Pay for Flood

People in Arlington who had their homes flooded by a broken pipe at a water treatment plant will have to wait even longer while the city tries to figure out who is going to pay for repairs.

On Oct. 26 a 12-inch water main broke while a contractor was doing work at the Pierce-Burch Water Treatment Plant. The water flooded the inside of three homes.

Carol Cash said the city of Arlington told her the contractor’s insurance company would pay for damages, but Tuesday afternoon she got an email from the company saying it was not responsible and to look to the city to make repairs.

Neighbor Jonny Henthorn said the flooding has affected the foundation of her home and caused cracks on the walls.

“They haven’t done anything to repair my home. They’ve done stuff to get the water out. They’ve tested for mold. But nobody has said they will repair anything on my house,” she said.

The homeowners said the threat posed by the water treatment plant also makes it impossible for them to ever sell their homes. They want the city to buy the properties.

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11/22/11 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

This Afternoon: Rain likely, mainly after 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 52. East wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight: Rain, with thunderstorms also possible after 1am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 49. Breezy, with a southeast wind between 14 and 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Wednesday: Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 9am, then rain likely. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Temperature rising to near 59 by 8am, then falling to around 48 during the remainder of the day. Breezy, with a north wind between 14 and 21 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers, mainly before 10pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Breezy, with a north wind between 15 and 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 52. North wind between 7 and 17 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 43.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 53.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 60.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45.

Sunday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Monday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

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Broken Pipe Floods Courthouse; Causes $500,000 in Damage

Flooding from a broken pipe in a Pasadena Courthouse bathroom has caused an estimated $500,000 damage.

Courthouse operations are continuing normally on Monday.

Fire spokeswoman Lisa Derderian says 30 firefighters were dispatched to the six-story courthouse at 5:40 a.m. Monday when a fire alarm was activated by the flood waters.

It's not clear when the pipe ruptured but Derderian says the water may have been accumulating all weekend.

A second-floor bathroom sink pipe broke and flooded two floors. A first floor office and computers are damaged.

Damage is estimated at $250,000 to the building and $250,000 to the contents.

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House Fire Damages Basement

Sunday evening the Webster Groves Fire Department responded to a house fire on Bismark Avenue. The two residents of the home were taken to a hospital to recover and according to Webster Groves Fire Chief Mike Capriglione one of them was released today.

The chief said the cause of the fire is under investigation but at this time there’s nothing to lead authorities to think it was from suspicious behavior.

“We know the area of origin of the fire, which is a room in the basement, and we suspect it might be from a faulty electrical outlet but we haven’t yet been able to talk with anyone who was home at the time of the fire,” Capriglione said.

The basement sustained heavy damage and there is smoke damage throughout the entire home.

While this fire does not appear to be the result of a holiday-related accident, the chief did welcome the opportunity to advise residents of what they can do to keep safe during this season.

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Flooded Homes Move to Higher Ground

THE first removal home from the disaster-struck flood zone in Grantham will be moved to the historic new estate on higher ground tomorrow.

Lockyer Valley Regional Council mayor Steve Jones said the moving of the first removal home into the new estate was another major milestone for the Australian-first Strengthening Grantham project.

"This first house being moved really is at the cornerstone of the original idea of the estate - moving homes out of harms way up on to safe ground," he said.

"All along we've wanted people to be able to live in a safe environment where they know when it rains there is no chance they can be flooded.

"That's what residents want and that's what this estate provides.

"We also welcome the assistance provided by Main Roads in allowing transportation of the home, particularly with the installation of a temporary crossing of the railway line and we look forward to a permanent overpass being in place soon to link the new and old Grantham."

The home will be moved to lot 48 which is a 4000m2 block in the estate.

While a number of homes are under construction on the site, tomorrow's move will be the first home from the flood zone to be moved up onto the hill on safe ground.

The official launch of the development will take place on Saturday, December 10, with families taking part in the swap invited to a family fun day including attendance by a host of dignitaries.

Council is still in the preliminary planning stages for the land it now owns in the flood zone but the most likely uses will include parklands, community market gardens and farming.

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11/22/11 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

Tonight: Sprinkles before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. East wind between 6 and 8 mph.

Tuesday: A chance of rain or drizzle, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. East wind between 6 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday Night: A chance of rain, then rain and possibly a thunderstorm after 9pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 50. East wind between 13 and 18 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Wednesday: Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then rain likely. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 60. Southeast wind 13 to 16 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. North wind between 9 and 16 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thanksgiving Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52.

Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 39.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 53.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 43.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 60.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45.

Sunday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Monday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

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Sewage Damaged Home Demolished by City

A crane tore down a house at Oak Point Road yesterday that has been the subject of friction between the city and disgruntled residents for nearly five years.

Don Buchs, president of All American Corp. and operator of the crane, said this is the first of a few more homes that will be demolished due to the damage done when a sewer line broke on Nov. 30, 2006. The line broke because of a heavy rain storm and raw sewage flooded into homes. Buchs said there are plans to demolish the house across the street in the near future.

The city became the owners of the Oak Point property that belonged to Charles and Mary Williams as part of a settlement to a lawsuit that the couple filed. The city and two other defendants awarded the couple in excess of $700,000, said Andy Goldwasser, the Williams’ attorney. The family also sued for wrongful death of Mary Williams’ mother, Dorothy Dulick, who was living with the couple at the time. She was diagnosed with pneumonia as a result of fumes from the sewage and died in 2009, according to previous news stories.

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Sewage Water Troubling for Homeowners

Some Farmington homeowners are relying on pipes made of flimsy fiber board material to dispose of home sewage.

Used until the early 1970s, the bargain-brand pipe, Orangeburg, an alternative to sewer and metal at the time, connected some Farmington homes to city sewer.

It was also used in other Dakota County cities, including Rosemount and Lakeville.

Farmington City Engineer Kevin Schorzman described Orangeburg pipe as “cardboard soaked in asphalt,” and said many of those pipes are now falling apart. The pipes have a life expectancy of a maximum of 50 years.

Named after the South Carolina city where it was manufactured, Orangeburg pipe is notorious for collapsing, deforming and clogging up from tree roots that easily penetrate the pipe and damage it.

The Internet is replete with homeowner complaints about Orangeburg pipe.

A YouTube video titled “Orangeburg Nightmare” features a homeowner’s documentation of expensive excavation in his yard to replace Orangeburg pipe with modern Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) pipes.

The video ends inside the home, as he describes the frustrations of living without modern plumbing and the work they’ve done to clean sewage backup from bathtubs, floors and toilets.

Jerry Sauber, owner of Sauber Plumbing and Heating, said Orangeburg is not a legal pipe material in Minnesota, and called it “obsolete.”

The city does not have any lists of homes where Orangeburg was installed, and Sauber said most homeowners won’t know if they have Orangeburg until a problem surfaces.

“When people have problems with them, they usually replace it,” Sauber said.

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New Motor Homes Arrive at Flooded Mobile home Park

A Vermont mobile home park that was inundated by Irene-related flooding has reopened, with the delivery of the first new home since the Aug. 28 storm.

Lt. Gov. Phil Scott's office said about 30 of the 70 damaged mobile homes at Weston's in Berlin have been removed at no cost to the homeowners.

The cost was covered by a deal worked out with Associated General Contractors of Vermont and funds raised by the Vermont Community Foundation and the Vermont Long Term Disaster Recovery Group.

Scott said Thursday that Bond Auto Parts has donated $50,000.

Crews expected to complete the removal work at Patterson's Mobile Home Park in Duxbury on Thursday before moving on to Whalley's in Waterbury and other parks in Woodstock and Brattleboro.

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Low Lying Neighborhoods Fear Floods

All this week, Newswatch 16 has been taking a closer look at the impact of the historic September flooding two months later.

A trip along Route 92 from Falls in Wyoming County to West Pittston in Luzerne County, an area pounded by the flooded Susquehanna River, is a ride that showed us flood victims going from horror to hope.

Take a ride through any of the low-lying neighborhoods off Route 92 and you'll find streets still lined with debris and homes still wrecked by flood waters.

Our trip begins in Falls. That is where we met Bob Firley, still looking in awe at all the damage. Homes are moved or gone. He is one of the few left there right now.

"My wife and I, we are the fighting Irish. We're going to get through this. We're not going anywhere," Firley said. But in Falls he fears others lack that resolve. "I don't think it will ever be the same again."

Farther down Route 92 in the Harding area 30 mobile homes used to be in Riverview Village. It was the home to dozens of people. They have all been torn down.

"It's just a disaster. There's nothing left. Everything's gone. It's sad," said Anthony Jakuciounis said. He used to live there. He was collecting scrap metal from what's left. "It was unbelievable. Everyone was running around here at one point and now it's just a vacant lot."

No matter where you go along this stretch of the Susquehanna River there is a mess. Remains of people's homes, remains of people lives scattered along the riverbank and, at this point, who knows how long it will take for what is now junk to be gone.

The streets of West Pittston are also lined with junk.

It will be gone at some point, but still, two months later there is so much of it.

The curb in front of Joe Stevenson's house is lined with it.

"It's been a little bit depressing. Everything takes longer than you think it's going to take. It takes longer to get money from the insurance company and to get all the bills paid and then the damage was a lot more than we originally expected it to be," Stevenson said.

The inside of his house is gutted. Now he waits for the studs to dry out, just like many of his neighbors.

"When you drive around at night and see all the houses are still dark it's really depressing, but I think one day West Pittston will come back, sooner or later, hopefully sooner," Stevenson added.

Historically high flood water swamped much of the community. It left hundreds of homes and businesses in need of repair.

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11/17/11 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

Tonight: A slight chance of rain and snow before 8pm. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 33. Northwest wind between 14 and 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 46. West wind between 11 and 15 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 35. West wind around 9 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 52. Southwest wind between 11 and 16 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. Southwest wind between 11 and 14 mph.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 59.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47.

Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 51.

Tuesday Night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy and breezy, with a high near 50. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy and breezy, with a low around 37.

Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 51.

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Holiday Inn Blames Contractor for Mold Damage

A contractor and his company are being sued over claims his work product caused a Webster Holiday Inn to become infested with mold.

Webster Hotel filed a lawsuit on Nov. 11 in Harris County District Court against Ritesh Patel and Matrix Builder, citing breach of contract, breach of implied warranty and negligence.

Webster Hotel says on Nov. 13, 2007, it hired the defendants to furnish labor, materials and equipment at a Holiday Inn in Webster, which was completed in 2009. The suit alleges in June, the hotel closed the entire fifth floor because of bad odors, water stains and mold. On Oct. 5, poor air quality on the fourth floor of the hotel necessitated its closure as well, according to the brief.

Webster Hotel claims this low air quality and mold infestation resulted from the defendants’ poor construction.

Webster Hotel is seeking loss of revenue, property damage, attorney’s fees and court costs. It is being represented in the case by Houston attorney Eric Lipper.

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Thieves Targeting Flooded Homes

About 150 houses on Blackwood Estate in Streetly were affected by a burst water main on Saturday.

Walsall Council said thieves posing as council workers took possessions that had been salvaged from homes.

Stolen items included washing machines, dishwashers and fridge freezers that had been piled on driveways.

Walsall Council leader Mike Bird said thieves had been spotted wearing high-visibility vests to blend in with council workers helping with the clear up.

"I cannot believe people will stoop so low... and [have] stolen the white goods in people's hour of need," he said.

Local resident Samantha McCombie said: "Waking up to water in your house and getting my nine-month-old out of the house to safety was frightening."

A water main leading to the Barr Beacon reservoir burst in the early hours of Saturday.

South Staffs Water has apologised to residents and said it would help people affected by the flooding.

Alex Martin, head of water strategy for the utility company, said loss adjusters had been out to survey the damage and work out potential costs.

Flood water had been 3ft (0.9m) deep in places, according to West Midlands Fire Service.

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Rihanna Puts House on Market with Extensive Water Damage

Pop star Rihanna has listed a Beverly Hills Post Office-area home at $4.5 million, substantially less than the $6.9 million she paid two years ago.

The listing describes the house as a "major fixer" with "extensive damage from moisture and water intrusion" at the roof, windows, doors and balconies. The home's water problems are the subject of a lawsuit the singer filed this summer in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

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Roof Collapses; House Sustains Water Damage

This week's Lex-Care case comes from Shannon Gordon, a social worker at the Senior Citizens Center.

Her client is a widow who needs $750 to repair water damage to two rooms in her home. The damage occurred when part of her roof collapsed. Before the roof repair was completed, the water that leaked through the roof caused the floors and walls in the kitchen and bath to rot. They are no longer safe to walk on or support the appliances/fixtures in those rooms.

She was able to pay for the roof repair with her savings.

She has no money to correct the problems that still need repair.

Once the final repairs are made and paid for, she will be able to meet her monthly expenses from the income she receives from Social Security benefits.

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11/16/11 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

Late Afternoon: Periods of rain. High near 59. West wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight: Periods of rain, mainly before 3am. Low around 47. Light wind becoming north between 10 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49. Northwest wind between 11 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming clear, with a low around 33. West wind between 15 and 17 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 46. West wind between 10 and 14 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 54.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47.

Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51.

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Residents Finding it Difficult to Fend off Waters

IT WAS MORE THAN just deja vu for Brian and Chalice Bell when Hurricane Irene hit in August.

They'd definitely lived through the rising water, the damaging winds and the uncertainty of just how much their two-story Inland Colony home in Chesapeake could take during the nor'easter of November 2009.

Except when Irene hit, they were more prepared.

"We all live by The Weather Channel in this neighborhood," said Brian Bell.

So, as he watched the storm approach, Bell, with help from brawny neighbors, rolled up carpets, moved dear items to higher ground and filled up a 36-foot truck with expensive items from his garage workshop and other places, then hauled them away to safety.

By necessity, like other Hampton Roads' residents whose homes have been ravaged by nor'easters, hurricanes or tropical storms, Bell learned all he could about safeguarding his house from future flooding, making sure his insurance worked for him, and protecting his assets and family.

Still, there are no guarantees, especially when you live in a neighborhood prone to flooding, or, like Hampton Roads, in an area that can be hit by a devastating storm at some point.

"Elevate or relocate" is what the Federal Emergency Management Agency suggests for people living in flood-zone areas, said Joseph Anderson, FEMA's hazard mitigation branch director.

"Relocating is the greatest solution, to get completely out of the flood zone," Anderson said, but "it's hard to tell people you have to move. Everybody can't up and move."

In Bell's neighborhood, which was developed in the 1950s, several people have elevated their homes.

But that's not a feasible option for him as a two-story homeowner, he said.

What Bell has chosen to do, as have many homeowners caught in the deluge, is move up hot-water heaters, air-conditioning and heating units, and raise duct work out of the water's path.

They've chosen to seal leaks and move important papers and photographs to higher ground, attics or upstairs bedrooms. Some have their houses on electric generators in case the lights go out, and have ways to pump water when storms threaten.

For self-proclaimed "storm warriors" Greg and Kim Peterman, Hurricane Irene got them where they lived in August, but it didn't drive them from their Larchmont home in Norfolk like the 2009 nor'easter.

Instead of having to live in a one-bedroom apartment for nine months while their one-story house was remediated, renovated and updated, this time the Petermans fought back with sandbags, tarps, sump pumps, dehumidifiers, fans and a generator. While the flood waters arrived as anticipated, and washed several inches of water in their home, the couple began the clean-up process immediately.

The Petermans pulled out the carpet by 1 a.m. that Sunday, Greg Peterman said, and eventually bleached the floors and walls to keep bacteria and mold from growing.

"We're living with concrete floors now," Greg Peterman said six weeks after Irene, as the couple waited for the insurance money from the $65,000 in damage they had this go-around. "We cleaned it as much as we could."

While the Petermans used the expertise they gained from dealing with flood damage in the past, experts say that cleaning up a property after a flood is often a dangerous job that requires a professional.

"The thing you have to remember, anytime it's ground water, anything that's porous needs to be disposed, carpet, padding and drywall," said Allen Alewine, president of ServePro in Chesapeake. "You cannot sanitize anything groundwater" has come into contact with, he said. "It will hold bacteria."

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Students Return to School After Lengthy Mold Remediation

High school students are finally back home.

The high school on Kennedy Way reopened Monday after being closed since Sept. 12 for mold remediation.

"It can't be stated enough how wonderful the students were through the whole process," Superintendent Ronald Taylor said at Monday's school board meeting. "This is not the easiest thing to get through. The students were fantastic."

Students missed one week of school and then attended the Levitt School on Salem Road, which was used as a middle school last school year.

Students were pleased as they left the building on a sunny and unseasonably warm day.

"I was happy to be back at the high school. It's remodeled and pretty. I like it," 12th-grader Jeane Savage said.

Sophomore Tanjela McClam said the students really didn't get to enjoy the renovations done last summer because they attended classes for only two days before the shutdown.

"We got new books, and we're finally able to enjoy (the renovations)," McClam said.

As part of a $67.4 million bond referendum, the high school auditorium was renovated, new doors and windows were installed, and new science laboratories were added.

McClam was unhappy about one aspect of returning — the Levitt school was closer to her home.

Savage said she would have to get used to going back to full days. For weeks, students attended split sessions at Levitt.

"Being back to full days, it's kind of crazy," she said.

Several students were thrilled to not be in such tight quarters any longer.

"I think it's better we have more space," freshman Imani Kirby said. "We're not cramped in one space."

Eleventh-grader Brandon Reed said he was pleased that the sports teams would get back their "home-field advantage."

Senior Sean Grimes said the return to school was a smooth one.

"Before, we were stuck in one hallway," Grimes said. "I'm happy to be back."

"Our children are home," resident Kim Davis said at Monday's meeting. "It was a hardship, and everyone made do. We weathered the storm."

Last week, an environmental consultant hired by the district released a report that said the high school is safe for occupancy. The remediation costs are expected to run as high as $700,000, officials have said.

The report said that in some areas of the school, air quality tests in September revealed that mold spores were up to 400 times the amount found outside.

Exposure to mold can cause irritation of the eyes, skin, nose, throat and lungs, as well as allergic reactions.

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Speaker of the House Analyzes Flood Damage

U.S. Representative John Boehner came to our area Monday to check out damage from the September flood.

Boehner and Congressman Lou Barletta went to Bloomsburg to talk about what the federal government can do to help flood victims recover.

It has been more than two months since the September flood and some areas in Bloomsburg still look like they were hit yesterday. Homeowners who lived on Main Street came out Monday to tell Speaker Boehner firsthand what it is that they need.

Some places, like the Reiter Automotive Factory in Bloomsburg, are up and running again after the catastrophic September flood. Speaker Boehner and Congressman Barletta toured the building that was once under five feet of water.

They also walked along a row of houses on Main Street next to the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds where Columbia County Commissioner Chris Young and homeowners were waiting to tell them exactly what they need.

"What we`re finding is people are just kind of in limbo for such a long period of time and we need, people need to know whether they are going to get bought out, when their going to receive their money from FEMA for a buyout. They can't wait two or three years for this process to take place. It needs to happen much much more quickly," said Commissioner Young.

Boehner listened to many of the homeowners' stories, then let them know they have not been forgotten and that he now realizes just how bad the devastation really is.

"Oh it`s horrible. These homes have been whipped out, and they need to be rebuilt, and that`s going to take money and the federal government has a big responsibility here," said Speaker Boehner.

He told the homeowners and commissioner he will be working closely with Congressman Barletta to help the flood victims.

Many residents are hoping for that help.

"Ultimately my neighbors and I are hoping for a buy out, I know that we all had flood insurance, it's not going well, not going smoothly. We`re all collectively getting offered less money for damages this year than we did in the '06 flood," said homeowner Keri Gaito of Bloomsburg. "The holidays are in six weeks and I have to go home and tell my kids that they have no where to go for Christmas."

Residents of Bloomsburg are hoping, now that Speaker Boehner has actually seen the devastation in person it will help speed up the process for the flood victims to get their lives back on track.

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Stove Pipe Fire Causes Thousands of Dollars in Damage

An overheated stove pipe started a flue fire at an Eagle Point home just after 4 a.m. today that caused between $5,000 and $8,000 in damage, Jackson County Fire District No. 3 officials said.

Battalion chief Arlen Blenkush said the fire started near the attic level of an old carriage house that had been converted into a bunk house on the 300 block of South Shasta Avenue. A three-foot length of single wall pipe near the attic level overheated and started the blaze. There were two occupants inside the property at the time, fire officials said. Both occupants were able to extinguish a majority of the fire with a hose before fire crews arrived to extinguish the rest, which took about five minutes, Blenkush said.

There were no injuries during the fire. Blenkush estimates a three-foot by 15-foot section of the attic was damaged. Flames did not make it through to the roof.

"It was charred pretty deep," Blenkush said.

Fire officials said single wall pipe lets out too much heat into the surrounding wood of a structure, which is why double wall pipe is preferred.

"It kind of just breaks down," Blenkush said.

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Blocked Drains Trouble Residents

A SECOND flood in Hampton Park this year has dashed residents' faith in Melbourne Water's claim flooding was a "one in 100 year" event.

A brief downpour on Wednesday flooded properties in Mary and Robjant streets, distressing residents who had just returned home or were still cleaning up after the February floods.

At a September meeting with Casey Council, a Melbourne Water spokesman told residents the area was not an "extreme" flood risk and there were no plans to update stormwater drains. New buildings were set above a one-in-100-year flood level, the spokesman said.

Residents said stormwater drains failed to cope with Wednesday's rain. They said they saw water coming out of the drains.

Robjant Street resident Trevor Goyal had raw sewage through his house from the February floods. He said that on Wednesday night it floated through his garage, where many of his possessions are stored while repairs continue.

Mr Goyal has suffered chronic health problems after cleaning up mould growing under the floorboards and behind skirting boards.

Ivan Grigson returned to his house in Karol Court, off Mary Street, on Thursday to find water inside and damp, muddy ground underneath.

He has been living off-site while his house dries out after the February floods.

"It's really set me back," he said. He now doesn't think his house will be ready to move back in until January, when the floorboards were scheduled to be replaced and repairs completed.

Clinical microbiologist Dr Cameron Jones told the Weekly that, from the photos he'd seen, many of the properties were affected by damp-related issues and sewage overflow. He said last week's flooding could not have come at a worse time as mould spores thrive in high humidity.

He warned that flood victims faced health risks from mould and damp homes.

"Anyone with pre-existing respiratory illnesses such as asthma is likely to become increasingly affected the longer they stay in these conditions."

Dr Jones advised people to immediately vacate damp or mouldy houses.

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Owners Unhappy With Officials

On a Wednesday morning last month, Jonny Henthorn woke to the sound of running water. It wasn't raining, but her back yard and her Woodside Drive home began to flood.

"I looked out the front, and there was a river flowing on either side of my house," Henthorn said. "I looked out my back window and saw in horror all the water. It was coming through the fence like a waterfall."

Henthorn is one of three property owners living downhill from the Pierce Burch Water Treatment Plant whose west Arlington homes suffered flood damage Oct. 26 after a 12-inch water main there broke while a contractor was renewing water lines.

Arlington officials said they have been working to help families with expenses such as removing damaged carpet and drywall, house cleaning and even pet boarding until the contractor's insurance company pays for repairs.

"We have tried to identify things we can do most quickly that would be the most helpful to the families," Water Utilities Director Julie Hunt said. "We have made a number of efforts and expenditures to help the families while they are waiting for the insurance to do their work."

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11/14/11 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

This Afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Southwest wind between 13 and 15 mph.

Tonight: A slight chance of showers before 3am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 54. Southwest wind between 13 and 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday: A slight chance of showers after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 65. West wind between 8 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday Night: A chance of showers, mainly after 7pm. Cloudy, with a low around 52. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Wednesday: Showers likely, mainly before 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 61. Southeast wind 6 to 13 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 51.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 37.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 51.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 44.

Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 57.

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County Set to Buy Flood Prone Homes

For years, homeowners living in the Briarcrest subdivision have been begging for help. Without fail, when San Antonio gets heavy rain their homes fill with water.

Their neighborhood is on the northeast side off Classen and Briarcrest. And tonight, News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooter Mireya Villarreal has confirmed Bexar County is buying out 20 homes in that area to increase flood control.

Norm Kight was hoping his home on Briarcrest would be his last one. The thought of moving, at his age, is a little scary.

"I'm 77-years-old. I've got heart troubles and I've got cancer. It's not good. It's acting up and taking over, I think,” he said.

Kight and his wife are retired and live off of social security. Even though the county is giving them a fair amount of money for their home, getting approved for a new home in this economy isn't easy. So, renting might be their only option.

Kight added, "I know what our income is and I don't think we can qualify to buy a house."

But norm's neighbor, Frank Aguon, is more optimistic. Back in 2009 we did a story a story on this neighborhood after a bad rain storm. He shared pictures with us that showed the water taking over his street and seeping into his home

"We are so happy we are moving out right now,” Frank Aguon told us.

Knoll Creek is right behind frank and norm’s homes. It’s supposed to act like a drain for all these surrounding neighborhoods. But there's been so much development up stream, when heavy rains hit San Antonio in a short amount of time, the creek overflows and heads straight for these homes.

"What has occurred with those homes now is, through the remapping of the entire county, those homes have not been placed in the flood plain,” Renee Green, Bexar County Engineer.

That's why the county stepped in to help. Rather than see these homes damaged again, they're going to buy them out and tear them down.

"We'll improve the geometry of that channel and allow the flood waters to move through that area without causing any damage to the surrounding neighborhood,” Green explained.

The county wants everyone out by early march. They are spending $5 million on this project and hope to have things done by January 2014.

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11/11/11 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

Veterans Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. Breezy, with a west wind around 23 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 38. West wind between 10 and 18 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 56. Breezy, with a west wind between 13 and 21 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44. West wind between 7 and 14 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 59. Southwest wind between 7 and 17 mph.

Sunday Night: A slight chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Monday: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a high near 63. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Monday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 51. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Tuesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 58.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52.

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11/10/11 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

Tonight: Scattered showers, mainly after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 44. Northwest wind between 8 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Veterans Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. Breezy, with a west wind between 18 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy during the early evening, then becoming clear, with a low around 38. Breezy, with a west wind between 10 and 20 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 55. Breezy, with a west wind between 13 and 21 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. West wind between 8 and 15 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 59.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51.

Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61.

Monday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Tuesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Tuesday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 58.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 52.

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Flooded Basement Causes $38,000 in Damage

Town council received a report on the investigation into the Aug. 9 flood with a more detailed report promised for the future.

Council received a report from its director of engineering and infrastructure Lou Zarlenga Monday night which recapped what council had previously agreed to Oct. 24. The motion two weeks previous called for administration being back a report with a "reduced scope" and options for camera work and smoke testing and that the report include what preventative measures can be taken including a backflow prevention program and basement flooding protection issues.

Councillor Bob Pillon noted that Zarlenga wasn't at the meeting to answer questions nor did his report have any detailed costs so he believed receiving the report was all council could do. Councillor Carolyn Davies added that she would like to see the rationale for how certain areas would be chosen for the smoke testing.

CAO Pamela Malott said this was a report that was designed to keep council informed but that a more detailed report is coming in the future. She said "it takes time for the public works department to determine the costs and the scope" of the project but pledged that material would be before town council as soon as possible.

"It takes time for that report," added Mayor Wayne Hurst.

Hawthorne Cr. resident Merrill Power showed a letter to council in which he believed he was told action would be taken to alleviate concerns he had on his street. He said his basement saw $38,000 damage and that he could face issues with insurance coverage should his house flood again. There are five houses on Hawthorne Cr. that have similar issues, he said.

"We can't keep going like this," he said.

Hurst promised Power that someone would get back to him on the matter.

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Man Accused of Flooding Police Station

Bethlehem police have accused a 48-year-old Freemansburg man of flooding a holding cell inside police headquarters after being arrested on public drunkenness charges, court records say.

Kenneth A. Moschetto, of the 100 block of North Oak Street, on Monday night tampered with a fire sprinkler enough to activate it, causing the cell and an adjacent hallway to flood, records say.

The damage, cost of repair and related expenses is estimated at $5,000, records say.

Moschetto was arrested in the 100 block of West Union Boulevard after a police officer saw him stumbling down the street "nearly falling over" and in "an intoxicated stupor," records say. Moschetto told the officer he was trying to walk home to Freemansburg, but he was headed in the opposite direction, records say.

After Moschetto was arrested for public drunkenness he became "hostile and belligerent," records say.

Moschetto told police he had been drinking liquor because "his girlfriend was getting married," records say. A preliminary breath test showed Moschetto's blood-alcohol content to be 0.18, records say.

Moschetto is charged with tampering with fire apparatus, institutional vandalism, criminal mischief, public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $5,000 bail.

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Heavy Rain Forces Families From Homes

Heavy rain last night caused flooding in some areas, five Sulphur families were forced to leave their homes in the middle of the night last night as water came up quickly.

Residents of the area on West 10th and Tulsa Ave. said the Sulphur Fire Department knocked on their doors around midnight telling to get out, but water was already up to their knees.One family said this is the third time their home has flooded but last nights was by far the worst.

Flood victim Shelia Copeland said, "When I opened the door and actually seaw how much water was out here, I told them we have a grand baby, we have no car, I told them we don't know what to do and they said we need to evacuate," she said. "Thank God."

The Copeland family said their home has flooded before, but last night was life threatening.

The Sulphur Fire Department said around midnight they realized residents on West 10th and Tulsa Ave. needed to evacuate.

"Most of the people we encountered were asleep," Fire Marshal Pete Haines said. "So we just started going door to door knocking on the doors and we were able to get them out before the water got any higher."

Sheila Copeland said, "It was right up to the porch, but he said the foundation might go and everything and we needed to leave and its never got as high as it did last night."

"At the time, we were able to walk them, go up and get them off the porches and walk them out here to safety," Haines said.

"I was knee deep, he was a little more, and then he carried her," Copeland said.

Haines said the raging flood water swept away any objects in its path and carried them downstream, making the rescue a little risky but thankfully no one was injured.

"I thank God for them knocking on the door last night because I dont know what we would have done," Copeland said. "We would be swimming."

Most residents returned home this morning but for many, it was to a house without power.

OG&E reported on their website 215 customers experienced outages, but it has since been restored.

Power may not be the biggest problem for many people, since homes were damaged during the flood.

"He has to wait for insurance and that takes a while to get it fixed but I don't know that I want to do this again," Copeland said.

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Flooded Courthouse Repair Could Cost $10 Million

Repairing the 17 floors damaged by an August flood in the federal courthouse here could cost up to $10 million, officials said Wednesday.

A broken pipe in a holding cell on the 17th floor ruptured the evening of Aug. 24, sending an estimated 8,000 gallons cascading through the south side of the building, soaking drywall, carpeting and insulation and ruining custom architectural millwork, wiring and electronics.

Before the water stopped dripping, contractors swung into action to dry out the building and begin tearing out damaged materials. Officials had refused to release an estimate of the full repair cost until Wednesday, citing federal rules governing unusual and urgent contracting situations.

"The cost of repair is high," acknowledged Jason Klumb, regional administrator for the General Services Administration. But the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse is a downtown landmark with special requirements, he said, where federal judges, lawyers and the public mingle with hardened criminals.

"Federal courthouses are unique buildings. This is unique among those," he said.

Officials did not have a breakdown of the specific costs of repair available Wednesday morning.

Dirk Schafer, chief operating officer of general contractor J.E. Dunn Construction, estimated that the woodwork in the building would be the largest line item in Dunn's $7.5 million portion of the job.

The courtrooms feature custom cherry veneer.

Schafer said that drywall replacement would be the next biggest expense.

Schafer estimated that the repair would require 60-80 workers, all local to the area.

Klumb said that the GSA hoped that the job would be completed by the summer of 2012.

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Fire Heavily Damages Cafe

A building at 431 N. Main St. that escaped the catastrophic Brownsville fire of 1919 was severely damaged by a fire that broke out shortly before midnight Monday.

The building houses the Corner Cafe that is owned and operated by the Joe and Linda DeZurney family. According to records at the Linn County Assessor’s Office, the building was constructed about 1900 and was valued at $110,400, including land.

“The fire was reported by someone who was leaving the Brownsville Saloon and saw flames coming out of a window on the east side of the building,” Brownsville Fire Chief Kevin Rogers said.

Rogers said about 30 firefighters from Brownsville, Halsey, Lebanon, Sweet Home and Tangent had the fire under control by about 2:30 a.m.

An addition on the north side of the building bore the brunt of the fire, Rogers said. The main portion of the building had extensive smoke damage, but was not destroyed.

Investigators will search for a cause of the fire Tuesday.

“It was filled with antiques and memorabilia. There was a tremendous amount of treasures,” said Captain Neal Karo said, a 51-year fire department volunteer. “It’s really a shame. When our family moved to town in 1945, it housed a tavern and the pool tables were in the addition.”

Community volunteer Joni Nelson said the building was one reason she and her husband moved to Brownsville in 1979.

Family members were operating an organic food store in the building and when Nelson visited, she and her husband fell in love with the community.

“It’s a real bummer,” Nelson said. “It’s really sad.”

Sydney DeZurney, the owners’ daughter, said the cafe is a family operation.

“My parents have owned the cafe for at least 15 years,” DeZurney said. “It’s a cozy, homey place with a lot of atmosphere.”

DeZurney said both of her parents enjoy collecting and selling antiques and displayed them at the cafe.

She said the cafe is not open for business on Mondays.

On Saturday, July 12, 1919, a fire broke out in downtown Brownsville and destroyed three blocks of the business district. In all 11 business buildings and 20 residences were destroyed.

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11/8/11 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

Tonight: Patchy fog after 1am. Otherwise, clear, with a low around 51. Light south wind.

Wednesday: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 62. Southeast wind between 5 and 9 mph.

Wednesday Night: A chance of rain or drizzle, mainly after 4am. Areas of fog after 11pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. South wind between 5 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday: Showers likely, mainly after noon. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. North wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Showers likely, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. Northwest wind between 7 and 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Veterans Day: Partly sunny and breezy, with a high near 52.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 55.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 59.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 60.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52.

Tuesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

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Sewage Damage Leads to Lawsuit

Christine and Richard Montagna wanted help from Warren city officials after a May sewer backup left their basement floor covered with 4 inches of putrid water.

"I was hysterical. I was fit to be tied," Christine Montagna said. "Now, when it starts to rain, I cringe."

The Montagnas say they didn't get the help they needed and are now suing the City of Warren in Macomb County Circuit Court, along with about 135 other plaintiffs.

The couple is part of a growing trend among metro Detroit homeowners who are turning to the courts because they believe sewer backups are avoidable and, therefore, the fault of city officials.

The lawsuits come at a time when cities no longer get insurance coverage with limits high enough to cover large court judgments related to sewer backups.

One Detroit-based law firm, Macuga, Liddle & Dubin, has filed lawsuits this year against the cities of Warren, Livonia and Grosse Pointe Farms on behalf of clients after heavy rains May 25-26 caused basements across metro Detroit to flood with raw sewage and rainwater.

Steven Liddle, an attorney with the firm, said it also is considering lawsuits in Garden City, Westland, Dearborn Heights, Allen Park and Detroit.

The lawsuit against Warren, filed Oct. 17 in Macomb County Circuit Court, is the second the firm has filed on behalf of plaintiffs against that city related to sewer backups. David Dubin said that his law firm worked out a $1.5-million settlement for 164 households that had basement flooding in a 1998 sewer backup.

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Sewage Flooding Troubling for Elderly Woman

ELDERLY residents have been left ankle deep in sewage floodwater at their sheltered bungalows in Longridge.

90-year-old Alice Bolton and her neighbours have suffered years of problems at their homes on Windsor Avenue, with overflowing drains spewing filthy water into their bathrooms and bedrooms.

And despite complaints to Lancashire County Council and landlords Ribble Valley Housing and numerous attempts to solve the situation, with ditches cleaned and new pipes installed, the floods continued to cause misery.

Recent downpours have brought added anxiety as residents braced themselves for more floods - and Alice says no-one seemed to want to take responsibility.

“They made some repairs, but blamed floods from the school field and just seemed to be passing the buck all the time - they didn’t want to know,” said Mrs Bolton.

Now, however, there is fresh hope for Alice and her neighbours.

Water giant United Utilities have recently taken charge of sewer pipes following new government legislation and a spokesperson told The News this week that they should be able to help.

The spokesperson said: “The new government rules have recently come into force which have given UK water companies responsibility for some sewer pipes previously held under private ownership.

“The sewer pipes serving the sheltered accommodation at Windsor Avenue are covered by the new legislation, which means we now have the authority to repair them, if required.

“We aim to carry out a CCTV survey of the pipes in the next couple of weeks, to see what state they are in, and to determine if there are any obstructions underground. If repairs are required, we will put an action plan together.

“We hope we are able to solve what appears to have been a long-running issue for residents.”

The news was greeted with relief and thanks by Alice Bolton, currently fighting a cold due to the damp. She says she has suffered flooding problems for the past eight of the 19 years she has lived at Windsor Avenue.

She has had to face sewage gushing up into her shower when she was using it - her son had to dig a hole to bury the waste - and damp affects her back bedroom with seepage from the garden when it floods.

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Residents Displaced from Homes Due to Flooding

A months-long drive to house residents displaced by a summer deluge in Minot, North Dakota, and surrounding communities drags on, a day before officials expect to release the outline of a flood control proposal.

Some 5,000 homes were swamped in June when the Souris River ran over its banks in North Dakota, most of them in Minot where floodwater pooled in some neighborhoods for up to a month, reaching more than a dozen feet deep.

More than a quarter of Minot's population, about 11,000 people, were displaced by the flood. Many residents have been unable to reoccupy their homes as winter approaches, adding to an already critical housing shortage.

The release of the proposed flood-control plan on Thursday for the Souris, or Mouse, River has been seen as a critical next step for residential recovery in the region.

Homeowners have left many of the flood-damaged houses untouched while they wait to see where proposed flood defenses will be added, extended or increased. The plans could give them information needed to decide whether to wait for buyouts, or repair or replace the houses in low-lying areas.

Federal officials had aimed to have about 2,300 temporary housing units placed in and around Minot by early November on private property and in newly constructed groups or on mobile home park commercial sites.

The drive to place about 1,100 temporary housing units on private property was nearing completion by Wednesday, but slow progress in laying infrastructure had left the temporary communities and commercial properties with only about 230 units occupied out of a projected 1,200 total units.

After rain-related delays, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hopes to complete infrastructure for 850 units in newly built communities of temporary housing in the Minot area by the end of November, spokesman Patrick Moes said.

"It's not going as fast we would like," Moes said. "We want to get these people in their homes as fast as possible, but it looks like at this point that we are definitely shooting for the end of the month to have that completed."

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Family's Fight Continues Months After Flood

Betty Sturek still encounters daily reminders of the September flood that damaged the Hallstead home she and her husband Joseph share.

The swampy backyard with no colorful garden and no wildlife to watch as in years past.

The stale air that meets her nose when she walks down the stairs to the cellar, a smell that won't leave no matter how much air or sunlight comes in.

"It's not horrible, but it's a strange, different odor," Mrs. Sturek, 80, said.

But then there are times when she and Mr. Sturek, 91, look around and realize just how fortunate they were - and continue to be - in the aftermath this summer's flooding.

"Emotionally, we're doing much, much better. We've settled into accepting what took place," Mrs. Sturek said.

Brooms, cleaning supplies and food provided by agencies and neighbors who helped the Stureks piece their home back together.

A working furnace and hot water heater, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The sturdy cement walls and stone foundation that allowed the house to survive invading waters.

"Things turned out better than I expected," Mrs. Sturek said. "I'm grateful to people and God himself for saving us. It was quite a catastrophe for a lot of people."

The floods have also made people think about the future.

Terrified after watching floodwaters creep closer and closer, finally filling 3 feet of his Windy Valley Road home with water, Forkston resident Tom McGlynn physically picked up his 1,700-square-foot house and moved after digging and laying a foundation - to the tune of about $40,000.

"We moved our house on Tuesday. We actually picked it up with two big cranes, put it in the back of the truck and drove it down the road," Mr. McGlynn said. "No help ... just did it myself."

The seven-week process ended with his one and a half story home relocating 1,500 feet away and 20 feet higher than the creek, which had crept up within 20 feet of his house.

The past two months have given Mr. McGlynn and his neighbors time to process and pinpoint the cause of the flood in their area, dammed up sediment and debris they believe led to a violent surge of water that tore through the area.

"I carried a 5-year-old boy through water that was above waist deep probably going 40 miles an hour," he said, adding he was glad nobody died in the raging waters.

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Mobile Home Residents Try to Recover from Flood

On the afternoon of Aug. 28, the water rose so quickly that hundreds of residents were forced to abandon their homes and move to higher ground. When they returned, they found that the water had filled their basements and submerged their first floors. The floodwaters had overturned barrels of heating oil stored in the basements of homes and office buildings, turning neighborhoods into hazmat zones and permeating the air with oily fumes.

Some 200 homes in Waterbury were severely damaged or destroyed, representing nearly a third of all the Vermont homes damaged by Irene-related flooding

Today, the toxic smell is gone and most of the Dumpsters that lined the streets in the days after the flood have been replaced by contractors' trucks. Displaced homeowners are eager to rebuild, but the town's recovery faces significant challenges. Private insurance policies don't cover flood damage, and because floods here are rare — the last major flood was in 1927 — few homeowners and businesses had federal flood insurance. Only 71 policies were in effect in the village at the end of August, according to federal data. For all of Vermont, 3,665 flood insurance policies were in force when Irene hit.

Steve and Amy Odefey are among the fortunate. Even though the family has never had so much as a wet basement in their 100-year-old house on Randall Street, they had flood insurance. "I'll be a lot happier writing the premium check now," Steve Odefey says.

Still, the Odefeys' insurance won't cover the loss of their personal property, nor will it cover the entire cost of repairs. For example, insurance will pay only to replace the portion of their first-floor walls that got wet, even though, as a practical matter, they'll need to replace the walls all the way to the ceiling, Odefey says. No contractor wants to match new drywall on the bottom half with the undamaged plaster-over-lath portion of the walls, he says.

After the waters ebbed, damaged roads and bridges were rebuilt fairly quickly. Rebuilding homes is taking much longer because homeowners must navigate a complex maze of state, federal and personal resources, says Chris Nordle, an attorney and member of ReBuild Waterbury, a non-profit formed to organize volunteers and raise funds for recovery efforts.

"When you're talking about 200 homeowners in a village of a couple thousand, you've got 200 little mini disaster-management programs going on," he says. "That's one of the things I have a hard time getting my head around."

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Fire Damages Motor Home

An early morning motor home fire did an estimated $10,000 damage, but nobody was injured, the Henderson Fire Department reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Firefighters responded to the blaze at 5:53 a.m. Monday on Merlayne Drive, near the intersection of Boulder Highway and Sunset Road, fire officials said.

The first units found heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof of the motor home, officials said. The occupants were already outside.

Fire crews entered the motor home and quickly extinguished the blaze, fire officials said. Two adults were displaced.

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Missouri River Flooding Damages Hundreds of Homes

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Monday it will change its approach to managing the Missouri River following a summer of record flooding that damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes, led to millions of dollars in road repairs and forced communities to scramble to build temporary levees.

The corps said it will make the changes in the coming months, including getting as much water out of the river basin's reservoir system as possible before spring and aggressively releasing more water in the spring, if needed.

The corps also is looking at how much more reservoir space might be needed to ease flooding.

The changes come in response to concerns voiced by residents — many of whom lost crops or were forced out of their homes for weeks by the flooding — during eight public meetings recently held in Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Montana and North Dakota.

"The past two weeks have been incredibly beneficial, and we have listened intently to the people we serve," Brig. Gen. John McMahon, the commander of the corps' northwestern division, said in a written release. "The top priority of the Northwestern Division Missouri is to responsibly prepare for the 2012 runoff season."

The public meetings often turned contentious, with corps officials facing angry residents who blamed them for not doing more to allay the flooding.

Corps officials said they had the reservoirs at desired levels last spring, but a late buildup of snow in the Rocky Mountains and unexpectedly heavy rains in Montana and other upstream areas in May led to record runoff. That prompted to the corps to release massive amounts of water from dams along the river, resulting in massive flooding downstream.

The Monday announcement was met with relief from people in the states most affected by the flooding.

Rhonda Wiley, the Atchison County emergency management coordinator based in Rock Port, Mo., said the corps' announcement "made my Monday morning."

"It seems to me they have actually listened to what was brought out at their meetings," Wiley said. "It's the first step of many steps yet to come."

She said recovery from flooding in her county is moving slowly and she's worried after reading predictions of higher-than-average precipitation in the northern part of the Missouri River basin in the coming winter and spring.

"I just hope now the corps can find the money to get in here and get these levees built back up," she said. "What we're looking at now, we could be doing this all over again next year."

The corps has estimated it will cost more than $2 billion to repair the damage to the nation's levees, dams and riverbanks caused by this year's flooding.

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11/7/11 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 48. West wind between 5 and 7 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 64. North wind between 3 and 5 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 51. Light south wind.

Wednesday: Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Calm wind becoming south between 6 and 9 mph.

Wednesday Night: A slight chance of rain. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. East wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday: A chance of rain. Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday Night: A chance of rain. Patchy fog before midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Veterans Day: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 52. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 50.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46.

Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 58.

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Broken Pipe Floods Courthouse

Flooding from a broken pipe in a Pasadena Courthouse bathroom has caused an estimated $500,000 damage.

Courthouse operations are continuing normally on Monday.

Fire spokeswoman Lisa Derderian says 30 firefighters were dispatched to the six-story courthouse at 5:40 a.m. Monday when a fire alarm was activated by the flood waters.

It's not clear when the pipe ruptured but Derderian says the water may have been accumulating all weekend.

A second-floor bathroom sink pipe broke and flooded two floors. A first floor office and computers are damaged.

Damage is estimated at $250,000 to the building and $250,000 to the contents.

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Fire Breaks Water Pipe, Causes $200,000 in Damage

A fire in the bathroom of a condominium spread to the attic and broke a water pipe early Thursday, ultimately causing about $200,000 in damage to six units, a Palm Springs fire captain said.

Crews were called to look for the source of smoke at 2860 Los Felices Road at 3:13 a.m. and had the fire they found there knocked down a half-hour later, Capt. Jason Loya said.

An accidental electrical issue likely caused the fire, he added.

No one was hurt in the fire, which broke a water pipe and damaged five nearby condos.

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Ocean Beach Apartment Catches Fire

An apartment building in Ocean Beach was damaged by a fire Thursday that was later determined to be accidental.

Firefighters were called to the El Dorado apartment complex on Cape May Avenue near Sunset Cliffs Boulevard at 11:40 a.m., Metro Arson Strike Team fire Captain Mike Merriken said.

When they arrived they found smoke coming from an upstairs unit at the two-story building, Merriken said.

Firefighters entered the apartment and found the kitchen on fire. The flames were quickly extinguished and contained to the kitchen, Merriken said.

Investigators determined that the fire was caused by plastic buckets that had been put on the stove.

The resident told investigators that he placed the containers there to warm them up and then forgot them and left. He was about five miles away when he realized what he had done and returned, Merriken said.

Damage to the unit as well as two below it that were damaged by water was estimated at about $85,000, Merriken said.



In a related incident, a woman who lives in one of those downstairs units was arrested after struggling with police, Lt. Andra Brown said.

Firefighters had gone into her home after the blaze was out to assess the damage and found water coming from an electric ceiling fan. One of them grabbed a cooler to collect the water and found it was full of marijuana, Brown said.

The resident then came home and demanded to be let inside her home. When an officer refused her entry due to the danger she fought with him, Brown said.

She was taken into custody on charges of obstruction and child endangerment.

She was identified as 31-year-old Larissa Danielli, Brown said.

Danielli had a prescription for the marijuana, the lieutenant said.

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11/3/11 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest.

Friday: Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 54. North wind between 9 and 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.

Friday Night: Clear, with a low around 34. North wind between 11 and 13 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 52. North wind between 10 and 14 mph.

Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 42. East wind around 6 mph.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 60.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 48.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 64.

Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 62.

Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52.

Thursday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

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Missouri River Flood Victims Frustrated with Corps

Army Corps of Engineers officials got a blast of frustration from Missouri River flood victims during a hearing on the agency's river management plans.

More than 250 people attended the Tuesday night hearing.

Corps division commander John McMahon said some people assume flood risk when they decide where they're going to live. McMahon's statement prompted angry shouts from the crowd.

Carolyn Hesford said her home flooded even though she lives a mile from the river.

Bev Charles of Bismarck says the new river management plan doesn't show the corps learned anything from this year's flooding.

Patti Crawford of Bismarck says she hopes the corps is right about the flood not coming back next year. But she says if it does, the top Corps of Engineers officials should resign.

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Chimney Fires Damage to Homes

Two Northborough homes were damaged by chimney fires Tuesday night while families attempted to keep warm in the face of the continued power outage, officials said.

Fires were reported at 53 Assabet Dr. and 13 Crawford St. at around 11 p.m., within 11 minutes of each other, said Northborough Fire Chief and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator David M. Durgin.

“People are trying to stay warm,” Durgin said. “We’ve been without power since Saturday night. … People are firing up chimneys and stoves that haven’t been used in many years. They’re not necessarily ready to go right now.”

The fires were under control at both homes in under an hour, he said. Both residences were occupied at the time of the fires but everyone made it out safely. One neighbor of the Assabet Drive residence was transported to Marlborough Hospital due to smoke inhalation.

The Crawford Street home sustained only minor damage, and the family was able to return there. The Assabet Drive home is no longer liveable, Durgin said. The resident declined shelter and assistance, instead opting to stay with people she knew in Westborough, Durgin said.

Four alarms were transmitted in order to get the help necessary from neighboring towns to deal with both fires, he said. The Northborough Fire Department received help from Berlin, Boylston, Marlborough, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Westborough, and Hudson.

Especially in towns without power, residents should check to make sure their smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are able to run on batteries, and that the batteries still work, Durgin said.

“It’s a lot of things people don’t think about everyday and don’t want to think about because it’s scary,” Durgin said.

Northborough was particularly hard-hit by the storm, he said.

“The tree devastation is just remarkable. I have not seen anything of this magnitude, aside from the tornado this spring, in my entire 38 years. … We literally have months of work” ahead of us.

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