County Offices Continue to Monitor Flood Damage, Offer Assistance

In the aftermath of the July 10 storms that caused severe flooding in the South Hills area, Allegheny County departments have been assessing damage and continue to offer help to those affected.

According to a release from the county, damage assessment teams that include personnel from Allegheny County Emergency Services (ACES), the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Business Administration (SBA) and PennDOT have partnered with local Emergency Management Coordinators to tour the most heavily affected flood-damaged areas.

Those areas include Mount Oliver, Upper St. Clair, Bridgeville, South Park, and Scott Township, among others.

Other Allegheny County departments also have reviewed the affected areas: 

• The Allegheny County Health Department worked with a number of municipal authorities to monitor and resolve bypasses and overflows during and after the flooding. Its food safety program staff worked with facilities in flood and power outage areas to assess damage and offer assistance, while also fielding questions from the public about their own food safety due to outages. For more information and tips, visit the Allegheny Health Department website or contact the offices at 412-687-ACHD.

• The Department of Public Works is continuing work on county roads and parks to address damage related to the weather events including berm repairs, restoration of shoulders, sweeping of roads, cleaning of culverts, rebuild of walls, removal of trees and wires, resurfacing of roads, and removal of debris.

• The Department of Human Services has visited several communities, including Oakdale, Bridgeville and Whitehall, by going door-to-door with emergency management coordinators to offer assistance and provide information on cleaning homes and mold remediation, stress management and helping children in a stressful situation. Those seeking support for stress may contact the re:solve Crisis Network at 1-888-796-8226.

• Veterans’ Services is offering assistance in completing and applying for Veterans Emergency Assistance.  Veterans who were impacted by the recent weather can make an appointment to apply for monetary assistance. Veterans must have served during a wartime period, must have an honorable discharge (DD-214) and must show loss and report of damages from an insurance company or contractor. The application and information will be considered by the Pennsylvania Department of Military & Veterans Affairs. The Veterans’ Services office can be reached at 412-621-4357.