Irene Flooded Lower Mac But Left Little Lasting Damage

All in all, the Lower Macungie area survived Hurricane Irene pretty well, according to emergency officials.

That may be hard to believe for those who view pictures of flood-waters licking at the doorstep of in East Texas, only bridge handrails peeking above the water in what became a lake covering Macungie Road and for those who received 8 feet of water in their basements.

But, in the end, the efforts of volunteers to coordinate responses minimized damage to the point where it appears the area will not qualify for state or federal disaster funding.

"These are areas that flood out all the time [during heavy storms]," said Ben Galiardo, Lower Macungie's deputy emergency management director. Galiardo recognized Irene as a worthy opponent, but said the rains stopped in time and township personnel responded well.

Late last week, township officials were expecting officials from the federal and state emergency management agencies to arrive in the township to inspect damage and accept claims. But Galiardo did not believe the visit took place, perhaps because data he collected was insufficient to warrant government assistance.

The Morning Call reported on Saturday that Lehigh was not among the counties deemed a disaster area and eligible for government money. However, Northampton County was on the list.

Galiardo said there were 14 damage assessment filings from the township. Of those, eight or nine were in the mildest category with water intrusion of 2 feet or more. The rest were in the next-to-least severe category with water at 8 or 9 feet or more.

While the flooding caused some damage and inconvenience, the results were not considered major, such as cracked foundations.

The Willows seems to be a classic example. Galiardo believes the rain stopped just in time to avoid major flooding. Posted signs notified the public that the restaurant would be closed because it did not have power. By Sept. 4, new signs promised a Sept. 9 re-opening.

Planning and coordination appear to have gone a long way toward minimizing damage. Fire Chief David Nosal and Galiardo opened the township's Emergency Management Control Center at the at 6 a.m. They were joined by township Public Works Diretor Dennis Hinkel. Resources were deployed from that location. Nosal doled out assignments to his volunteers as the calls came in -- 35 in all -- redeploying resources as necessary.

For example, when a tree blocked Lower Macungie Road at the Turnpike bridge, Nosal ordered a pumper to stand by along Cedar Crest Boulevard. Nosal realized that the blocked roadway would delay an emergency response to the eastern portion of the township, so he staged an engine to that side just in case.

In the storm's aftermath, Galiardo does not expect much change. He said dredging the Little Lehigh Creek likely would help reduce the flow, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has not been receptive to past requests.

One program he cited that has assisted in minimizing damage has been the purchase of properties with flooding tendencies. The Severe Repetitive Loss Program some years ago used 90 percent federal money and a 10-percent local contribution to buy out some local residents. Galiardo said it would be helpful if that program could be used to buy out a few more.

But, all in all, Galiardo was pleased with the way the township fared.

"There was nobody who was not able to go back to their homes after the storm," Galiardo said.