GILBERTON — Josetta Galetz’s slot machine she got for a Christmas gift sat outside her front door.
So did her washer and dryer, reclining chairs, couch and rolls of flood-damaged flooring.
“I want out. I’m not going through this again,” she said.
Disaster ministry volunteers responded Saturday to help with the cleanup at the 424 Main St. home that Josetta and her husband, Bob, built in 1989. Bob Galetz, the borough’s former mayor and an accountant, said there was 32 inches of water on his first floor. The Galetz family was in Gilberton during the 2006 flood as well.
They had stayed at the Holiday Inn in Frackville before returning to the upper floor of their home Monday.
“The mayor’s been working a lot, the Methodist Church kept in contact with us, and the Red Cross and the Salvation Army brought food in and have been a big help,” she said.
Bob Simcox, disaster response coordinator for United Methodist Church Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, said the couple was among 16 Gilberton homeowners expected to receive assistance Saturday. The response team obtained the names from the American Red Cross.
Grieving process
“It’s really a grieving process. All of their stuff is ruined,” Simcox said. He reminded volunteers that they were guests and to ask the homeowner directly about their properties, while evaluating their needs.
An estimated 8 to 10 feet of water rose on Railroad Street and into Main Street during heavy rain in the overnight hours of June 10 and 11, resulting in catastrophic flooding from nearby Mahanoy Creek.
Conference Bishop Peggy A. Johnson joined about 30 volunteers who met at Gilberton United Methodist Church to coordinate the cleanup effort and provide pastoral care to residents as they traveled throughout the borough.
“We’re assessing the needs, and I’m pleased and proud to have the United Methodist Committee on Relief,” Johnson said. “They spend years planning and training, and their motto is ‘First in, last one out’ ... We need lots more help here.”
Solidarity grant
Simcox announced he would be requesting a $10,000 solidarity grant through UMCOR to assist Gilberton.
Following Hurricane Sandy, UMCOR responded, and stayed four years in Maryland, aiding the recovery effort there, according to Johnson, of Mont Clare, whose conference has 411 churches.
Although this is the first flood site she has toured this year, Johnson stopped in Port Carbon last year during that community’s flooding.
‘Water broke us up’
Cindy Eickhoff has lived in her home at 222 Main St. in Gilberton since 1995. Her husband, Richard, has resided there since 1991. Volunteers assessed their home Saturday.
“We’re letting it go,” she said. “It’s $832 just to replace the meter box. The whole house would need repaired, with the dry wall and the ceiling, the floor. All our appliances are gone. It’s just too much to fix,”she said.
Eickhoff is an organist at Gilberton UMC and Frackville Polish Catholic Church. She’s an LPN at Conewago, a Pottsville drug and alcohol detoxification center.
During the 2006 flood, their home had less water and it receded quickly. With this month’s flooding, the water was 3 feet or more on the first floor and the water stayed for nearly a week, she said.
The couple wants to remain in Schuylkill County. They are temporarily residing with their son, Steven Nester, in Frackville.
“We had good neighbors, but not anymore. The water broke us up,” Richard Eickhoff said.
The couple was planning to meet with fellow property owners Monday to review their legal options.
According to Republican Herald archives, Gilberton Fire Marshal Barry Brassington said piping installed by HRI Inc. as part of the Route 924 bridge replacement project restricted the flow of the creek and that, along with the heavy rains, proved to be the “perfect recipe for disaster.”
Team effort
The Rev. Bob Schrepple, of Gilberton UMC, expects the conference disaster team will remain in the area for several weeks.
“Today proves that the church is more than these four walls,” Schrepple said. “Neighbors help neighbors.”
Simcox welcomed volunteers and introduced Johnson; Schrepple; the Rev. Lorraine Heckman, the conference’s north district disaster response coordinator; Steven Morton, district superintendent; Gary Jaeger, east district disaster coordinator; and Ione Seddor, financial secretary of the Gilberton UMC and local disaster coordinator for the church.
Morton said he had attended a church in Ashland, and while in Schuylkill County, heard about Gilberton’s flooding. He took a video of the devastation and sent it to Johnson.
The United Methodist Women of Mahanoy City prepared lunch at the Gilberton church for volunteers. Also assisting the recovery effort were United Methodist churches in Kulpmont, Girardville and Mahanoy City.
Anyone wishing to volunteer or to seek assistance can contact Schrepple at the church or email Simcox at drc@epaumc.org.
Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6007