Flash floods

There were bad storms in Westmoreland County on Wednesday evening. I've been photographing entire basements that had to be gutted due to flood damage, and entire businesses that have to either close down or start from scratch. It's hard to see. I can only imagine what the people actually cleaning it up are going through. There's a strong sense of solidarity, though. Neighbors help neighbors, friends help friends. Nobody said they were in it alone. It made me proud to be a part of the community here, even if it's only for the summer.


Roy Bauer, of Greensburg, uses a lantern to inspect flood damage at the Manor House Tavern, where there was still no power Thursday afternoon, following Wednesday evening's storm. Bauer and his wife have owned the tavern for 29 years, and learned Thursday morning that they don't have flood insurance. "It's amazing," Bauer said, "You can be in business and in a manner of four hours, you're done."
(Sarah Beth Glicksteen/Tribune-Review)


Mud-soaked eyeglasses sit in a basement window at Cross of Christ Ministries in Jeannette, Pa., on June 19, 2009. The church basement was filled with mud and debris following Wednesday evening's storms.
(Sarah Beth Glicksteen/Tribune-Review)


Jacob Hertzog, 10, sorts through his family's belongings in their backyard in Jeannette Pa., on June 19, 2009. The family had to completely gut their basement following Wednesday evening's storms. His father, Kevin Hertzog, holds his head in the background, as his sister, Amber Hertzog, 15, throws more debris into a trash fire.
(Sarah Beth Glicksteen/Tribune-Review)