Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Residents Struggle to Recover Sex Months After Flood
Bonnie Mills had 35 years of memories in her old coal-camp house in Knox County, so she hoped she could make repairs and stay in it after it was damaged by flooding last June.Mills started clearing away gooey mud the day the water receded and kept at it for weeks while staying in a rented place nearby, but relief officials and others eventually convinced her the house couldn't be fixed.She used federal disaster aid to buy a new mobile home, 48 feet long by 14 feet wide, and had it set up a few yards from her old house.The new place is sparsely furnished, and with electric heat it doesn't seem as warm as her old house, where she heated with wood and coal."I'm still trying to get used to this place," Mills, 63, said of her new home. "I call it my box."Six months after flooding damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes in Knox, Bell and other Eastern Kentucky counties on June 20, many people still are trying to recover.Some people are working on repairs, using federal disaster aid and donated items to put their lives back together. Others moved away because their houses were destroyed or too badly damaged to fix.Jeff and Pam Sears, who live next to Mills, had to tear out the floor, the subfloor, wallboard and insulation to clear away damaged material, get rid of the smell, and make sure mold didn't take hold in their home.The muddy water was about 18 inches deep in their home during the flood.They powdered their front yard with lime to smother the stench of the mud deposited by the flood, and then, with the help of volunteers, shoveled the mess into a pile to be hauled away.The couple used their savings to buy building materials and a new heating and cooling system. Jeff Sears took off work for five weeks to do repairs, and has continued working on the house nearly every weekend since.They just finished installing insulation under the floor two weeks ago, and still need to finish work on the kitchen, laundry room and a bedroom."We're still in the process, but we're a lot better off," Pam Sears said. "Compared to six months ago, we're 110 percent better."The flooding happened after six inches or more of rain fell during a few hours in some spots.President Barack Obama issued a disaster declaration covering Bell, Knox, Perry, Breathitt, Knott, Lee and Magoffin counties.At Kayjay, a former coal camp in the mountainous southern part of Knox County, floodwater funneled down narrow hollows and pushed creeks far out of their banks, washing several homes off their foundations.Residents in Knox and Bell counties have alleged in lawsuits that improper surface mining and reclamation — such as failing to maintain ponds designed to catch water running off mined areas — caused or worsened the flooding.The coal companies involved have denied causing or contributing to the flooding.People recounted how the water came up quickly in the middle of the night at Kayjay, trapping some in their homes.Mills, who called for help to no avail, rode out the flood perched on the back of her couch with her Jack Russell terrier, Corky, on her shoulder.Jeff and Pam Sears, their house popping and cracking, could hear their neighbors across the road begging for help, but they couldn't get to them."It was terrifying," Jeff Sears said of the flood.
Condo Fire Causes Heavy Damage
Fire investigators are probing what caused a Monday afternoon kitchen fire that heavily damaged a condominium and inflicted minor injuries on its resident, the Contra Costa Fire District said.
The two-alarm blaze was reported about 3:20 p.m. at a two-story unit in the 300 block of Camelback Road, prompting a six-engine response involving more than 30 firefighters.
They found the resident in a downstairs bedroom and helped him outside. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution after he inhaled smoke.
Firefighters needed about 20 minutes to extinguish the fire, which rendered both the condominium and a neighboring unit uninhabitable, the fire district said. At least $350,000 in damage was caused, and displaced residents were offered housing relief by the American Red Cross.
Investigators believe the fire started in the kitchen but an exact cause has not been declared. The fire district said the resident was alerted to the fire by firefighters who entered his home; it was not immediately known whether the unit had working smoke alarms.
The fire district said smoke detectors should be placed in every bedroom and hallway, with at least one installed per floor. It also recommended that kitchen appliances should be turned off when not in use or not attended, and that combustible materials be kept away from heat sources such as stovetops.
The two-alarm blaze was reported about 3:20 p.m. at a two-story unit in the 300 block of Camelback Road, prompting a six-engine response involving more than 30 firefighters.
They found the resident in a downstairs bedroom and helped him outside. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution after he inhaled smoke.
Firefighters needed about 20 minutes to extinguish the fire, which rendered both the condominium and a neighboring unit uninhabitable, the fire district said. At least $350,000 in damage was caused, and displaced residents were offered housing relief by the American Red Cross.
Investigators believe the fire started in the kitchen but an exact cause has not been declared. The fire district said the resident was alerted to the fire by firefighters who entered his home; it was not immediately known whether the unit had working smoke alarms.
The fire district said smoke detectors should be placed in every bedroom and hallway, with at least one installed per floor. It also recommended that kitchen appliances should be turned off when not in use or not attended, and that combustible materials be kept away from heat sources such as stovetops.
1/3/12 Lindenhurst Weather Forecast
This Afternoon: Scattered flurries. Partly sunny, with a high near 28. North wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 14. North wind between 11 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Wednesday: A chance of flurries after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 30. West wind between 8 and 11 mph.
Wednesday Night: A chance of flurries, mainly before 7pm. Cloudy, with a low around 26. West wind between 5 and 7 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. West wind between 6 and 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 45.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 50.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 41.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 14. North wind between 11 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Wednesday: A chance of flurries after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 30. West wind between 8 and 11 mph.
Wednesday Night: A chance of flurries, mainly before 7pm. Cloudy, with a low around 26. West wind between 5 and 7 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. West wind between 6 and 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 45.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 36.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 50.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 41.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Pipe Bursts, Floods Museum
A broken water main in downtown Tooele this morning resulted in the flooding of the Sons of Utah Pioneers Museum, potentially damaging artifacts and equipment stored in the basement.
The main, running along Garden Street, broke near the street’s intersection with Vine Street, and was reported at about 6 a.m. A crew from Tooele City’s Public Works Department was on scene by 6:20, according to Tom McKay, a supervisor with the department. McKay said breaks in the old cast iron water pipes around town, which he estimates to have been laid in the 1950s, are not uncommon.
“It’s old cast iron line. They crack,” he said. “There’s no give to it, so if there’s any movement in the earth it will just crack.”
That movement seems to be especially pronounced in the contraction of earth in early winter and subsequent expansion in early spring, he said, when these incidents typically happen.
“It’s common. It’s not a freak occurrence,” he said. “That’s why we do so many pipe replacements.”
However, McKay said, what is not common is for the water gushing forth to flood nearby buildings, such as the Pioneer Museum complex, which is located on the northwestern corner of Garden and Vine streets.
“Usually it would have come out here and the gutter would have taken it,” he said.
A steady flow of water did course down the gutter until the water was shut off a little after 9 for about an hour to facilitate repairs. McKay said the water would have been shut off sooner but the valve was corroded and the crew had to dig into the street to replace the valve and shut the water off. However, a pool also quickly grew in the parking lot just north of the museum, collecting in low spots on the concrete and filling the staircase to the basement of the building.
Jim Bevan, chairman of the museum’s board of directors, said he wasn’t notified of the leak and possible flooding until about 10 a.m., and arrived at the museum minutes later. The basement of the museum was coated with mud and water had pooled in low spots of the tile and sopping-wet carpet. From the waterline on a bookcase holding volumes owned by the Tooele County Historical Society, he estimates about a foot of water collected at its highest point.
The museum has had flooding in the past, from clogged gutters not able to handle a heavy storm or from incorrectly finished work near the museum, he said, but this time is different.
“This one is catastrophic,” he said.
How much damage was caused to artifacts, tools or appliances stored in the basement, such as the furnace, is impossible to tally until the area is cleaned up.
“We won’t know,” he said. “We’ll just have to suck up the water. I’ll just have to get some men up here to help me.”
The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum, which is connected to the SUP museum, was not damaged, though some things belonging to the DUP, including a piano, may have been damaged. Katherine Memmott, director of the DUP museum, said it was difficult seeing the mud and water still pooled on the floor of the neighboring building.
“It’s heartbreaking to see all this,” she said.
The flowing water collected in parking lots in the area and the freezing temperatures quickly turned it to ice. However, crews from Tooele City salted the recently formed ice — an act Scott Dunn, publisher of the Transcript-Bulletin, commended.
“Our parking lot is full of ice, but the city responded quite well and put salt right down, so everything should be fine,” Dunn said.
The main, running along Garden Street, broke near the street’s intersection with Vine Street, and was reported at about 6 a.m. A crew from Tooele City’s Public Works Department was on scene by 6:20, according to Tom McKay, a supervisor with the department. McKay said breaks in the old cast iron water pipes around town, which he estimates to have been laid in the 1950s, are not uncommon.
“It’s old cast iron line. They crack,” he said. “There’s no give to it, so if there’s any movement in the earth it will just crack.”
That movement seems to be especially pronounced in the contraction of earth in early winter and subsequent expansion in early spring, he said, when these incidents typically happen.
“It’s common. It’s not a freak occurrence,” he said. “That’s why we do so many pipe replacements.”
However, McKay said, what is not common is for the water gushing forth to flood nearby buildings, such as the Pioneer Museum complex, which is located on the northwestern corner of Garden and Vine streets.
“Usually it would have come out here and the gutter would have taken it,” he said.
A steady flow of water did course down the gutter until the water was shut off a little after 9 for about an hour to facilitate repairs. McKay said the water would have been shut off sooner but the valve was corroded and the crew had to dig into the street to replace the valve and shut the water off. However, a pool also quickly grew in the parking lot just north of the museum, collecting in low spots on the concrete and filling the staircase to the basement of the building.
Jim Bevan, chairman of the museum’s board of directors, said he wasn’t notified of the leak and possible flooding until about 10 a.m., and arrived at the museum minutes later. The basement of the museum was coated with mud and water had pooled in low spots of the tile and sopping-wet carpet. From the waterline on a bookcase holding volumes owned by the Tooele County Historical Society, he estimates about a foot of water collected at its highest point.
The museum has had flooding in the past, from clogged gutters not able to handle a heavy storm or from incorrectly finished work near the museum, he said, but this time is different.
“This one is catastrophic,” he said.
How much damage was caused to artifacts, tools or appliances stored in the basement, such as the furnace, is impossible to tally until the area is cleaned up.
“We won’t know,” he said. “We’ll just have to suck up the water. I’ll just have to get some men up here to help me.”
The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum, which is connected to the SUP museum, was not damaged, though some things belonging to the DUP, including a piano, may have been damaged. Katherine Memmott, director of the DUP museum, said it was difficult seeing the mud and water still pooled on the floor of the neighboring building.
“It’s heartbreaking to see all this,” she said.
The flowing water collected in parking lots in the area and the freezing temperatures quickly turned it to ice. However, crews from Tooele City salted the recently formed ice — an act Scott Dunn, publisher of the Transcript-Bulletin, commended.
“Our parking lot is full of ice, but the city responded quite well and put salt right down, so everything should be fine,” Dunn said.
Holiday Inn Sprinkler Pipe Bursts, Floods
It was a soggy Christmas for Yreka Holiday Inn Express staff members as they dealt with the aftermath of a frozen fire sprinkler pipe in the attic that burst on Dec. 22, causing flooding in 15 of the rooms.
The ordeal began in the evening when the fire alarm sounded. Holiday Inn Express General Manager Ravi Brar said the fire alarm system is connected to the sprinkler system.
When staff investigated the matter, they discovered that the attic fire sprinkler pipe had frozen and burst, Brar said.
“Water was gushing in the attic,” Brar said. “It was dripping through the ceiling.”
Guests affected by the flooding were transferred to dry quarters.
Brar said that business has been impacted by the flooding.
“We have had to turn away a few walk-ins,” he commented.
The Aztec Construction and Restoration firm was retained to repair the damages.
Scott Birondo of Aztec said that the cold air coming into the attic through the gable vents is likely what caused the fire sprinkler pipe to freeze.
Aztec staff set up 50 air blowers and 12 dehumidifiers to dry out the saturated carpets and furniture. They extracted saturated attic insulation through a tube from the rooms below.
Birondo said he anticipated it would take about five days for the flooded rooms to completely dry.
The ordeal began in the evening when the fire alarm sounded. Holiday Inn Express General Manager Ravi Brar said the fire alarm system is connected to the sprinkler system.
When staff investigated the matter, they discovered that the attic fire sprinkler pipe had frozen and burst, Brar said.
“Water was gushing in the attic,” Brar said. “It was dripping through the ceiling.”
Guests affected by the flooding were transferred to dry quarters.
Brar said that business has been impacted by the flooding.
“We have had to turn away a few walk-ins,” he commented.
The Aztec Construction and Restoration firm was retained to repair the damages.
Scott Birondo of Aztec said that the cold air coming into the attic through the gable vents is likely what caused the fire sprinkler pipe to freeze.
Aztec staff set up 50 air blowers and 12 dehumidifiers to dry out the saturated carpets and furniture. They extracted saturated attic insulation through a tube from the rooms below.
Birondo said he anticipated it would take about five days for the flooded rooms to completely dry.
Burst Pipe Floods Basement
THE DOWNSTAIRS of a home was ruined when a burst pipe flooded an Ascot home on yesterday (Tuesday).
Windsor firefighters were called to the scene at 11.40am in Goaters Road where a pipe in a downstairs toilet had burst.
Firefighter Doug Maslen said: "The whole of the downstairs was flooded. We immediately turned off the main water supply into the house when we arrived and then started to pump out all the water.
"The wooden flooring had lifted and swelled."
A women, man and child were residents of the semi-detached house and the fire crew left the scene at 1.10pm.
Windsor firefighters were called to the scene at 11.40am in Goaters Road where a pipe in a downstairs toilet had burst.
Firefighter Doug Maslen said: "The whole of the downstairs was flooded. We immediately turned off the main water supply into the house when we arrived and then started to pump out all the water.
"The wooden flooring had lifted and swelled."
A women, man and child were residents of the semi-detached house and the fire crew left the scene at 1.10pm.
Pipes Freeze, Burst, Flood Pizza Place
Burst water pipes in an apartment over the vacant House of Pizza on Main Street caused considerable damage to the building Wednesday.
Eve Roberts said she checked the building Tuesday for business owner George Vlahakis, who is out of state, and it was OK and the heat was on. When she arrived early Wednesday afternoon she found water pouring through the building.
She immediately called Central Maine Power at 12:22 p.m. to shut off the electricity.
Roberts said the tenant in the apartment recently moved.
"The only thing we could think of is CMP switched over to the smart meter after I left yesterday," she said. "The notice they left on the door said the power would be interrupted and the furnace must have never kicked back on."
She believed that during the night the water pipes froze and burst, causing water to flow through the apartment and down to the restaurant.
Roberts said after she called CMP, she called the Water District to shut off the line from the street and then notified the Oxford County Regional Communications Center in Paris of the incident.
"They asked if I wanted the Fire Department," she said. "I said 'no' because I had called and talked to the Water District and they said someone was coming to shut off the water."
Roberts said she spoke with a woman at the Water District and was told the person who dispatches employees was on vacation.
"I told her, 'Look, I need someone to shut the water off, its everywhere,'" she said. "That's when she said someone would be right over to shut the water off."
She waited more than an hour and then called the communications center again at about 1:30 p.m. and asked for the Fire Department, she said.
Dixfield Fire Chief Scott Dennett said there was approximately 4 to 5 inches of water in the basement and the ceiling tiles in the restaurant broke apart and fell to the floor.
Firefighters shut off the water from the street and pumped out the basement.
Roberts said Dennett advised that due to the extensive damage the owner would need to contact a company to clean the mess. She said she was also told dehumidifiers would be needed to dry out the lines before power could be restored.
Vlahakis operated the House of Pizza until it closed two years ago. He said his sister, Helen Manamus, of Massachusetts, owns the building and it is insured.
He said he spoke to the insurance agent and would contact CMP about why workers changed the meter on a vacant building and interrupted power without trying to contact the owner first.
Vlahakis said if the insurance company does not cover the damage he would contact CMPfor reimbursement.
Calls placed to CMP for comment on its policies and procedures concerning the changeover to smart meters were not returned Wednesday.
Eve Roberts said she checked the building Tuesday for business owner George Vlahakis, who is out of state, and it was OK and the heat was on. When she arrived early Wednesday afternoon she found water pouring through the building.
She immediately called Central Maine Power at 12:22 p.m. to shut off the electricity.
Roberts said the tenant in the apartment recently moved.
"The only thing we could think of is CMP switched over to the smart meter after I left yesterday," she said. "The notice they left on the door said the power would be interrupted and the furnace must have never kicked back on."
She believed that during the night the water pipes froze and burst, causing water to flow through the apartment and down to the restaurant.
Roberts said after she called CMP, she called the Water District to shut off the line from the street and then notified the Oxford County Regional Communications Center in Paris of the incident.
"They asked if I wanted the Fire Department," she said. "I said 'no' because I had called and talked to the Water District and they said someone was coming to shut off the water."
Roberts said she spoke with a woman at the Water District and was told the person who dispatches employees was on vacation.
"I told her, 'Look, I need someone to shut the water off, its everywhere,'" she said. "That's when she said someone would be right over to shut the water off."
She waited more than an hour and then called the communications center again at about 1:30 p.m. and asked for the Fire Department, she said.
Dixfield Fire Chief Scott Dennett said there was approximately 4 to 5 inches of water in the basement and the ceiling tiles in the restaurant broke apart and fell to the floor.
Firefighters shut off the water from the street and pumped out the basement.
Roberts said Dennett advised that due to the extensive damage the owner would need to contact a company to clean the mess. She said she was also told dehumidifiers would be needed to dry out the lines before power could be restored.
Vlahakis operated the House of Pizza until it closed two years ago. He said his sister, Helen Manamus, of Massachusetts, owns the building and it is insured.
He said he spoke to the insurance agent and would contact CMP about why workers changed the meter on a vacant building and interrupted power without trying to contact the owner first.
Vlahakis said if the insurance company does not cover the damage he would contact CMPfor reimbursement.
Calls placed to CMP for comment on its policies and procedures concerning the changeover to smart meters were not returned Wednesday.
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