Photo by James Kozemchak specialist. While thousands of evacuees moved into Back Mountain schools, churches, fire halls, and community buildings, the Commonwealth’s Department of Environmental Resources moved their personnel and equipment into the facilities at the Wilkes-Barre Campus of The Pennsylvania State Univer- sity. The department, under the jurisdiction of the Common- wealth’s Bureau of Water Quality Management, with their Avenue, Kingston, were forced to evacuate their offices June 23 and immediately took advan- tage of the invitation to use the facilities of the local campus to set up a laboratory for the water analyses of samples from com- panies in Luzerne, Bradford, Tioga, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Wyoming Counties. Through the cooperation of To Delay “Our distribution ‘system is just about back to full capacity now,” Richard H. Demmy, UGI vice Msident and general manager of the Luzerne Elec- tric Division, said July 7. “But we are confronted with a short- been constantly trying to bring additional inspectors in from other areas.” UGI has all its personnel and service crews working seven days a week restoring electric power in the flooded portions of Wyoming Valley, but the short- age of electrical inspectors is hampering the speed with which power turn-ons are being made. Mr. Demmy explained that an inspection is required before UGI will restore power to a home or business. “These inspectors are from independent underwriting Oak by Bridgette Correale 639-5759 The composer who wrote ‘June is busting out all over’ was in for quite a jolt this year. June leaked out instead, all over our beautiful Malley. If for nothing else, thifWisaster has proved that the people of Back Moun- tain are the greatest. They have opened their hearts and homes to all the evacuees. I always loved this area, but now my husban@ill have a tough time getting me to move—should we have to move! Congratulations to Rose and Leo Mohen of Hemlock Drive who recently celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary. Rose spent her anniversary as a volunteer at Gate of Heaven Evacuation Center, while Leo shoveled, shoveled and shoveled mud from his office in town. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder! The Tomasellis, Fred, Yo- landa, Peter and Joe, enjoyed a week’s vacation in Staten Hill Island, N.Y., while Helen, John and Joseph Kishkill spent a few days in Brooklyn, N.Y. Birthday greetings to Joseph Tomaselli who celebrated his ninth birthday June 24. The Correale’s Motel on The Hill, enjoyed a visit from An- thony Amalfitano and Jerry Farriuola. The boys journeyed from Brooklyn, N.Y., to help several friends who ‘were flooded in Kingston. Also visiting were Tony, Terry, Anthony, Roseanna and James Nuciforo of Southampton, N.Y. Gate of Heaven’s Summer Fiesta has been cancelled until next year. Sorry to report that Lauri Angelicola is sporting a cast on her arm after a fall from a swing set. With the population explosion in the Back Mountain area, it isn’t even safe to back" out of your driveway, lét alone drive on our highways. Please drive carefully—be alert—the life you save may be mine! immediately. NAME STREET TOWN agencies,” he noted. “They are not part of UGI. We have gone through the Office of Emergen- cy Preparedness to get more in- spectors into the Valley, but so far the response has been slow.” Mr. Demmy asked flood- stricken citizens to be patient in waiting for inspection teams. “We are trying to be as thorough as possible to insure public safety,” he asserted. “We have had enough tragedy and suffering and we want to make sure lives and property are preserved.” After homes and offices have been properly prepared to accept power following steps in- dicated in UGI’s customer flood bulletin No. 1, Mr. Demmy said customers should notify UGI they are ready to be inspected. He said they can either call the UGI Office at 287-3131 or come to the service building at 247 Wyoming Ave., Kingston. He further specified that all homes or offices when UGI arrives to restore electrical power. Mr. Demmy further warned customers that all BX wiring (metal covered) that has been under water must be discon- nected because it may become hot when electricity runs through it and cause a fire. “Don’t make the mistake,” Mr. Demmy stressed, ‘‘of think- ing you can continue to use flooded BX wiring. It might take several months to do any damage, but then you will be faced with a fire hazard and it could happen in the middle of the night.” Mr. Demmy said if only BX wiring is present temporary power can be restored by UGI crews if a temporary circuit with new wiring to a receptacle for immediate use of emergen- cy equipment has been install- ed. He said that an electrical supplier can explain how a temporary circuit can be pre- pared. “All inspections,” = Mr. Demmy explained, ‘‘are being recorded as either final, tem- porary or failed. If temporary, a customer will be given 60 days to make the required changes.” Mr. Demmy said he again wants to thank the public in the flooded areas for their coopera- tion and understanding during this period of crisis. “Our people are working long, ex- hausting hours, but we realize it is our responsibility to get power restored as fast as pos- communities to a semblance of normalcy.” SHAVERTOWN 675-1107 COMPANY the federal government, a temporary federal bacteriologi- cal laboratory was set up and more than 1800 water samples from the six mentioned counties were run through with at least 50 percent of the water supplies found to be contaminated. With telephone service cut off, the department was able to communicate with their field people and the office in Harris- burg through the Bureau of Forestry ‘who also took up quarters at the campus and set up a radio communications cen- ter which has been in operation during the past two weeks. Federal representatives have arrived from Ohio, New Jersey, California, Montana, and other areas of the country and are presently traveling through the floodstricken area evaluating the sewage and water systems to determine the amount of financial aid necessary from the federal government. The environmental represen- tatives have been working round the clock, men and women employes alike, and like hundreds of others in the Back Mountain are catching an hour’s sleep now and then, wherever they find a place to put a blanket or sleeping bag. Larry Pawlush, regional Water Quality Bureau manager, is generous in his praise of the staff at the Wilkes- Barre Campus. ‘Without their assistance,” he said, ‘we could not have operated as efficiently as we did. Staff members re- mained on duty from 8 a.m. to 12 midnight, placing calls, rounding up blankets, sleeping bags, and other supplies.” “Whatever our request, they did their best to fulfill it. They have done a tremendous job.” More than 40 persons have been calling the Wilkes-Barre Campus home for the past two weeks or more. It was not until July 4 that some of the people were able to get to their homes in the flood areas; some have still not been off the campus but continue to fill in wherever necessary. “Things have slowed up some,” said Geraldine McGov- ern, chief of compliance and ad- ministration, ‘for the first eight or nine days we manned the telephones and typed daily analyses and reports ‘round the clock. But now we are working two shifts—from 8 a:m. to 9:30 p.m. We keep in constant con- tact with the media and keep the Civil Defense and other agencies informed through re- ports from regional manager Larry Pawlush.” The Department of Enyiron- mental Resources personnel are doing their best to sustain the natural resources for the flood victims and. other resi- dents throughout the disaster areas of Region Il, and to date it appears they have been suc- cessful. Photo by James Kozemchak Mrs. Hugh Dockeray, Oak Hill, a faculty secretary at the Penn State Campus in Lehman; has been manning the switchboard 12- 14 hours daily to keep lines open for the Department of En- vironmental Resources.’ \ Subscribe to the Post SEE THE WINDSOR | AND MANY OTHERS LOW DOWN PAYMENT Up to 12 yrs to pay DEER HEAD MOBILE HOMES Sales & Service Ine. Dallas Hwy. (Next to A&P) 675-0298 EY Guarantee o ANY SIZE e ANY SHAPE PERM-X BRACES No Other Pool Has It! Now Introduces « 4 o Something New For 7 : AH WALK-IN STAIRS for added beauty and convenience and they add that something extra LIMITED TIME ONLY Prestige Pools Will Include Walk- In Stairs at No Extra Cost In All In-Ground Pools Ordered Now! "Don’t Wait Any Longer. . » Call Today!
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers