Counting Our Blessings

[RDA - Responsible Drilling Alliance]

Dear RDA Members,

Our sympathies, best thoughts, wishes and prayers go out to all who have suffered due to last week’s flooding in Pennsylvania and New York.

 

Our regular newsletter editor, Barb Jarmoska, who’s home, office and family retreat since the early 1930’s was right in the path of the record flood stage level of the Loyalsock Creek, has been greatly impacted and is still without power, phone service, well water and an internet connection at home. Barb is cleaning up her basement, garage and barn, sorting through decades of family mementos and counting her blessings, as all her family members, animals and the living quarters of her house are safe.

 

There is still quite a mess to clean up and a much longer drive in and out of Williamsport as the regular route and the shortest backup are both impassable and likely to remain so for a long while. Barb’s beautiful home is a few dozens of feet up on the west bank of the Loyalsock, luckily ( or carefully ) situated so as to have just missed disaster. Many neighbors, both upstream and down from Barb, were not so lucky. Her daughter, Mel McKee, drove out from town in the powerful rain in time to make a heroic rescue of both Barb’s horses, leading the scared and reluctant animals out of the barn through waste deep water onto higher ground as Barb had gone to Philadelphia the day before thinking all was fine. Mel was able to get back before both the south end of Wallis Run Road, the Slabtown Bridge and much of State RT 87 were destroyed by the raging waters.

 

All of us are hopeful you and your family is safe and your friends and your property untouched, but the fact is, all in our area of north central PA and well beyond know people who have been severely impacted and many have family members and close friends who are cleaning up and still stunned by the impact of the flood.

 

Accordingly we have cancelled the Celebration of Rider Park scheduled for this Sunday the 18th. We will let you know if it is rescheduled this fall.

 

Also postponed is the Citizens Marcellus Shale Commission Hearing in Williamsport scheduled for tonight, Tuesday, Sept. 13th.  It is tentatively rescheduled for the week of Sept. 19, 2011. We will announce the new date for the hearing in next week’s newsletter or check on our website calendar where is will be posted as soon as we have confirmation of the new date, and confirm the place and time.
 
Finally, the Pentex Pipeline Hearing, scheduled for today, Tuesday, September 13th at 1 and 6pm in Wyalusing has been postponed until Friday, October 10th 2011, also at 1 and 6pm.