Feb 2, 2023 7 min read

“I saw the Earth cracking.”

That’s what Julie Farthing, owner of Julie’s Hair Haven, said she witnessed before water flooded the intersection of Fourth and Main streets Thursday afternoon in Monongahela.

Pennsylvania American Water Company crews were called to the area around 4 p.m. Thursday for an emergency repair.

The company said a 12-inch cast iron line broke, causing water to rush into the street as well as properties that were in its path. Crews worked early into Friday morning to restore water service and get the break under control.

Many business that were not flooded directly opted to close Thursday because they lost water service while crews addressed the problem.

Most of the businesses have reopened, and while water service was restored early Friday morning and the road is repaired, the real damage is being felt by property and business owners — some still without power — who will have a long road ahead.

Farthing has owned her hair salon for nearly four years, but has never experienced anything like the catastrophe that happened Thursday that led her to call 911 and rush out of her business with only the items she could carry.

“It was a crazy thing,” she said.

Farthing was walking her client to her car after a hair appointment when she saw a crack in the road that was leaking water.

“I went back inside and thought it was strange,” she said. “Then, around 3:15 I started feeling this whirling beneath my feet.”

She knew something wasn’t right, but was used to her building sometimes shaking when a large truck passes by.

With an 18-wheeler stopped at the red light, she looked out the window and realized that wasn’t the problem.

“I saw water gushing down,” she said. “When I opened the door, I saw the Earth cracking, and then bam. It was the freakiest thing I have ever seen.”

A few moments later, she called 911 and traffic started to back up. “The cops started coming and the water kept coming and I just grabbed what I thought I should grab and took off,” she said.

After visiting her business Friday, she said her neighbors got hit even worse.

“They were devastated. I am lucky because I did not lose too much,” she said, adding that she didn’t spend much time at her business Friday while clean up efforts were underway.

“I went in, took one walk around and got the heck out,” she said.

WATER-LINE BREAK • A9 FROM A1 “The smell was terrible.”

Jason Mattey and his wife, Dionne Malush, own the building where Farthing operates her business.

Malush posted videos and pictures on social media Friday as firefighters worked to pump the water from the basement, businesses and commercial units.

“The roads are buckling and I hope it does not affect the integrity of this very old iconic building,” she wrote.

On Friday, Mattey spent most of the day at the property.

“Big buildings, big problems,” he said. “I’ve been down there all morning.”

He said the basement was filled to the ceiling with water, and unfortunately that’s where the electricity is housed for four commercial buildings and eight apartment units.

“There is 3 or 4 feet of mud in the basement,” he said. “That has to be removed before the company can even get in to get to work on repairs.”

Terry Necciai, executive director of the Monongahela Main Street Program, has spent a lot of time since the water-main break talking with business and property owners.

Necciai said the water line broke right at the intersection of Fourth and West Main streets, almost identical to the break that happened about a year ago. This time the water had so much force behind it that it burst through walls of brick foundations beneath the ground. “It entered the Yohe Building with so much force that it completely flooded the Yohe Building basement, up to the basement ceiling and was squirting out through the walls,” Necciai said. “It also filled the cellars from Zimmer Printing to Little City Coffee almost to the cellar ceilings.”

In a video posted online by Little City Coffee, water can be seen rising in the basement.

Necciai explained that the pipe in the video is actually electrical conduit that is part of the underground electrical system installed in the 1980s when the current street lights were installed between First and Fifth Streets.

“In this block, it was part of what flooded when the water main burst under Fourth Street and forcibly flowed into the Yohe Building and (less so) the neighboring Essee Flats (Provan) building,” Necciai said. “Several stores in the Essee Flats building and Yohe building will be closed until the buildings have dried out and the electrical systems have been checked, repaired if needed and turned back on.

“This includes Julie’s Hair Haven on the Fourth Street side of the Yohe Building, Dusty’s Discounts, Tattoo Savior, Zimmer Printing, Lynda’s Main Street Salon and Little City Coffee.”

Don Aldous, whose wife owns Dusty’s Discounts, said the damage was extensive.

“It flooded the basement to the ceiling,” he posted on social media. “Thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, ruined.”

With help from the fire department, both buildings have had the water pumped from their basements, but it will take time to fully dry before they can be repaired.

“Up to eight store locations might be affected until it all gets resolved and it might also affect about 10 apartments above these stores, which won’t have electricity until sometime (Saturday), though they in some places rely on electric heat,” Necciai said.

Necciai said he does not recall seeing anything quite like what happened Thursday.

“I don’t think anyone has ever seen anything like it,” Necciai said. “It didn’t just fill up the basements, it was bursting through the walls. It’s one thing to flood in through the windows, it’s another thing to burst from the walls underground.”

Mattey confirmed his building will be without power for at least a week, meaning businesses will remain closed and residents will be displaced.

He said the water company has brought in a third party disaster restoration company to complete work and has offered to pay for hotels for displaced residents until they are able to return home.

“I will say this company has been there for us in whatever way we needed; they have stepped up and are taking care of us and our tenants,” Mattey said, adding that first responders deserve even more recognition for their help.

“They were there as soon as they got the call,” Mattey said. “They were here pumping until really late, going above and beyond anything they needed to do. It’s tough right now, but they have done more than we ever could have asked and we are so grateful.”