Es Devastation such as this is a common sight in Kingston on South Gates Street in Kingston. The O’Neils of 80 S. Gates Ave., Kingston hang a sign on their _ lamp post when they are not in the area, hopeful that HYD will notify them. The posts which support the roof at the entrance to, this Gateway apartment complex lean precariously. medicine. off their foundations. by Doris Mallin Mud was everywhere...it was raining hard. Forty-two days had gone by since the Sus- business places on both sides, leaving behind tons of mud and debris when it receded. ~The mud had since dried and for weeks the atmosphere was filled with choking dust as people dug in and shoveled out. The dust turned back to mud as the rain continued to erywhere. The A & P was brightly lighted, eflecting off sparkling new window glass. helves were stocked and walls were freshly nted, Workmen swarmed over the shops rishings and floor covering. Final touches ere being put on fixtures and doorways. In rp contrast was the huge sign over the trance outside which still clearly showed e water line of the flood. At oneend of the Narrows Shopping Center, mud, was being dragged from the B.J. Smith Furniture Factory and showroom. The once beautiful furniture, heavy upholstered pieces made heavier with water, had been taken from the large rooms and work on the walls had already begun. A few of the little shops along the small mall were swarming with people, busy at: cleaning and rebuilding. The Lonesome W Tack Shope was dark and macy was brilliantly lit. The store was open for business with clean, freshly painted walls and shelves, most of them already stocked. Employees were busy filling the spaces with merchandise according to signs posted at various intervals. 3 Across the highway, cleaning up and re- building at the Gateway Shopping Center had not progressed as far. The Acme Market was dimly lit as workmen still worked at clearing the store of debris, piling it up in the parking lot. Shops along the walk were still boarded up. A few were stripped of water-soaked debris but many still held the remains of pre- flood merchandise. roof had collapsed and the place lay in ruins. Rehind the Shopping center, Wayne’s > Dey part: of the walls which had remained after the flood. Six weeks had passed since the river dealt its terrible blow and the condition of the Gate- way Apartments seemed unchanged since the water had receded and the personal belong- ings of residents had been cleared away. The same was true of nearby streets which were still thick with mud. Many of the homes on South Thomas Street in Edwardsville were moved from their foun- dations; others were balanced precariously on one wall or leaning forward at awkward angles. Three homes on the corner of South Gates Avenue in Kingston were moved from their foundation while others had cracked or collapsed. Very few trailers had been brought into these streets where they are sorely needed, while on still other streets, trailers are set up in almost every yard, alongside of homes which are standing erect with second floors mostly untouched by high waters. Residents in the neglected .areas have grown impatient. Mr. and Mrs. Harold Crop sat infront of their home at 103 S. Thomas St., anxiously waiting for a representative from HUD to miracuously appear on their door- Step. Their home had been washed from its n and remained tilted, hanging over them to move back into it. They had applied somewhat bitter over the excuses and the red tape they had been met with. The Crops, who had lived at that address for 13 years, said: they were anxious to rebuild. Looking around at the signs which flood- stricken residents had hung on their doors, signs pleading with HUD to’ call at temporary addresses given, one realized that these people too must have waited, like the Crops, afraid to leave their doorstep, but then had grown weary or had to return to jobs, leaving messages behind. Desperate, these people are hopeful that they will soon be called and can return to their neighborhood, temporarily housed in one of the small homes on wheels. Some sections of Kingston were still flooded. At one intersection just off Pierce Street, there stands a large pool of water, blocking off passage through the streets, making it almost impossible for residents to get back into their homes. At the intersection of Wyoming Avenue and Union Street, Goodwin Volkswagon had already filled their lot with shiny cars; Stull Brothers Inc. was digging out; while across the street, the front of the building which had’ Sandwich Shoppe was standing without win- dow glass, forming an unusual frame as we At the Midway Shopping Center in Wyom- ing, the scene presented sharp contrasts. Pro- gress in cleaning and rebuilding had moved along swiftly in some stores while in others it seemed as if nothing had been done. The Super Saver was already back in busi- ness; Pomeroy’s would be opening in a 2 days; the beverage store at one end was and customers were making purchases. But many of the shops were still stocked with mud-soaked merchandise, the windows clouded and streaked from the flood waters. Heading homeward, we wondered at the various stages of progress throughout the West Side...some streets clean, whole blocks of homes which gave the outward appearance - of being untouched by the flood, and street after street of trailers hooked up at every residence; other streets unwashed with the scene still of devastation and yards void of any kind of temporary housing; while over all hung the same sickening stench, not quite as citizens of Wyoming Valley as they returned to their homes justafter the flood, but it was, nonetheless still prevalent. i
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers