Florence gently soaks SW Pa., leaves devastation behind in Carolinas
Former Monongahela resident Donna Smith was on the phone early Monday afternoon describing her drenched North Carolina community when she suddenly exclaimed to a friend who was traveling with her in her car, “Wow, look at that road!” when they came upon a byway that was flooded.
Smith and her husband, Brandon Smith, both 1992 graduates of Ringgold High School, are among the thousands of residents of the Carolinas reeling from Hurricane Florence, which came ashore Friday and was gently soaking the Pittsburgh region Monday as it marched northward. Despite the copious amounts of rain Southwestern Pennsylvania has received this year, no flooding was anticipated in this area as Florence dissipates.
This is the second hurricane the 43-year-old Smith has weathered in North Carolina, having survived the ravages of Matthew in 2016. Her verdict? Florence was more devastating than Matthew.
“We’ve been out of power since Friday, and no one expects it anytime soon,” she said. “No one can get to us.”
The Smiths live in Cameron, N.C., located about 45 minutes from Fayetteville, N.C., and almost an hour from Raleigh, N.C. They live at a high elevation and “if we flood, North Carolina is gone.” Many of their fellow Tar Heels weren’t faring as well – the overall death toll stood at 17 as of Monday afternoon, with 11 deaths in North Carolina, and six in South Carolina. Rivers in North Carolina were still rising Monday, and evacuations were continuing. Curfews have been in effect, and Smith was not sure when she would resume her job in an elementary school cafeteria.
Despite the fact that Florence will deliver only an inch or two of rain to this area, the Greater Pennsylvania American Red Cross, which includes Washington and Greene counties, deployed just 35 volunteers to help out in the Carolinas out of concern that they might have been needed in the Keystone State if Florence had retained its power. More volunteers might be sent later this week, according to Dan Tobin, a Red Cross spokesman based in its Pittsburgh office.
West Penn Power also did not send equipment or personnel to the Carolinas, according to Todd Meyer, a spokesman for the utility. Part of the reasoning was also rooted in concern about how Florence would track through this part of the country.
“We never want to be in a situation where we leave our customers vulnerable,” he said.
Various charities have issued calls for help in the wake of the storm, and though the desire to help out is understandable, Pennsylvania State Police have warned wallets and checkbooks should be opened cautiously.
In a community awareness bulletin sent last week, state police underlined that anyone inclined to give to a charity should never provide personal information, such as Social Security or credit card numbers, date of birth or address; should be aware of copycat names or names similar to those of legitimate charities, and copycat websites; never click on links or attachments in unsolicited emails; and designate the disaster to make sure funds go toward disaster relief.