377 Front Street paving dispute -page 15 Av TR TS Ratph M. Snyder ChB R. D. 2 : ae Mount JOY , 25 17552 Susquehanna Times & The Mount Joy Bulletin MARIETTA & MOUNT JOY, PA. Vol. 77 No. 7 February 16, 1977 FIFTEEN CENTS Ready for Old Man River Bill Breckline heads Marietta’s Civil Defense Paul Leas, Lancaster County's Civil Defense director,was discussing the possibility of a flood with a Marietta reporter. ‘‘You have one thing to be glad about,’ he said. ‘‘Bill Breckline is one of the finest CD directors around. The boys at state head- quarters know of him, and they have a very high opinion.” Bill Breckline runs Mari- etta’s Civil Defense organ- ization. In a Susquehanna River town, the job carries a tremendous burden of responsibility. Sleepless nights During Agnes, Mayor McDevitt and Chief Millar insisted that Bill get some sleep after two days on the job. They drove him home, and made him lie down for a few hours. ‘‘I couldn’t sleep anyway,’ Bill recalls. “I kept thinking about all those poor people, and the water...” Since then, Marietta’s Civil Defense program has been expanded and im- proved. Bill Breckline’s re- sponsibilities are just as great, but careful planning and organization will make his job less time-consuming if disaster strikes this spring. CD operations will be faster and more efficient and—just _maybe—Bill will be able to get some sleep during a crisis. EADQUAR ig — een atomp RR Bill Breckline “We've got a 24-hour watch on the river, locally, upriver, and downriver,” Bill says. ‘“‘As soon as the water starts rising, we'll blow one continuous blast on the siren for a few minutes.”’ 30 men in 145 hour Trained help is only as far as the telephone under the new Civil Defense sys- tem. A single phone call will summon the Army and Reserves. Another number will bring organized help from Amish and Mennonite volunteers. More immediately, Bill says, ‘‘In half an hours’ time, I can have 30 men on the go.”” A total of 245 Civil Defense workers are signed up in Marietta. Marietta’s CD crews work under the direction of Bill and his assistants, Harold McElroy (1st assis- tant) and Paul Raber (2nd assistant). Junior Appley will run the food service. During emergencies, Bill Breckline has found himself in command of hundreds of men and women. The Army and Reserves are under his control, but Bill likes to let the Army make its own decisions. “What can we do for you?’’ the officer in charge of a military unit asked Bill during the last flood. ‘““What can we do for you?” Bill replied. The officer beamed. “lI told them what our problems were, and let them solve it their own way,” Bill recalls. “They know what they're doing. They don’t need me to tell them. They appreciate that.”’ Planning for emergencies takes a lot of time and effort. When this reporter visited CD headquarters, Bill was working out the locations ™ of emergency medical centers. The fire company was the obvious location, but there had to be back-up areas in case the medical center became too crowded. Plans for a possiblé€, flood this spring are very elaborate} (see . story on front page). Civil Defense does more than cope with floods. In the basement of the Boro building, one of Marietta’s 4 fallout shelters is located. The shelter contains drink- ing water, food, first aid equipment, and radiation detection kits, to help townspeople survive a nuclear disaster. Once a year, the FBI inspects the shelter. Bill has taken all kinds of disaster courses, which are provided free to CD per- sonnel. (The courses are taught at State College.) To become a Civil De- fense director, a person must be appointed by Boro Council, and approved by the governor of PA. Then he has to take a lot of courses. The job may be tough, but it is satisfying. Emer- gencies seem to bring out the best in people, and Bill has seen a lot of the good side of human nature. There was the Philadelphia contractor, -for example, who sent a crew to help Marietta during Agnes, and refused to charge a cent for their work. While (continued on Page 16) Back By substituting propane for natural gas, local firms have been able to re-open plants that have been closed for 2 weeks by the gas shortage. Three hundred workers a students Elementary building which openned on Valentine’s Day. Kraybill carry their desks to the new New building opens at Kraybill- page 3 to work have been recalled at Marietta’s Armstrong Ceil- ing Plant. At Mount Joy's National Standard plant, 100 workers are back on the job after a 2-week layoff. Donald H. Betty, Arm- strong Ceiling Plant man- ager, said, “We hope to keep our plant running and our employees on the job as fully as possible, and we intend to do so as long as we can get adequate sup- plies of standby fuel.’ Flood preparations; what to do, where to go Civil Defense officials are hopeful ‘that the unusually good weather we’ve been having will prevent a major flood this spring. There is still ice on ‘the Susque- hanna, but the warm, rain- less days and cold nights have been breaking it up gradually. There is stilll some dan- ger, however. A heavy rain upriver could cause pro- blems. Local CD, Red Cross, and police officials have set up an elaborate system to deal with a possible flood. Some of the main precautions and plans are listed below: FIRST WARNING—A continous blast (several minutes) on the siren in Marietta means the water is rising. Sound trucks and radio stations will help keep the town informed. CD workers are watching the river 24 hours a day here, upstream, and down- stream. MASS CARE CENTER— People can find shelter at Riverview Elementary School if a flood develops. STORAGE FOR PER- SONAL BELONGINGS— The Armstrong Ceiling Plant warehouse will be available. You can store furniture and personal be- longings there during a flood. FIRST AID CENTER—At least one center will be established in the fire hall. BLOCKADE—The roads into Marietta will be block- ed off immediately by police. To get through, you will need a pass. Contact the mayor, the police, or Civil Defense (all at the Boro Hall) HELP— ‘Feel free to call if you need help,”” Civil Defense head Bill Breckline says. If you are crippled, infirm, can’t move your belongings, or have some other problem, call the police (426-3613) or the boro office (426-1620). COMMUNICATIONS CENTER—The Boro Hall. If anyone has a sugges- tion on ways to cope with a possible emergency, he or she should contact Bill Breckline at home or at the Boro Hall. “We can always use new ideas,’ Bill says.
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