Lawmaker: “We must enact this remedy now for the
well-being of those threatened by floodwaters”
ABINGTON—Rep. Ellen M. Bard
(R-153) held a press conference today at the home of an Abington couple
perpetually threatened by floodwaters in an effort to expedite action by the
General Assembly on her legislative package to safeguard Pennsylvania
residents and their flood-prone properties.
For
Bill and Jen Woerner, the General Assembly can’t act soon enough on Bard’s
package. Their suburban home on Maple Avenue, the site of Bard’s press
conference, has been hit hard already by rainwater runoff, and they know
it’s only a matter of time before they are hit again.
“The
Woerners are among many in Abington and throughout the Commonwealth who are
continuously jeopardized by floodwaters,” Bard said. “For their sake, we
cannot delay in enacting the only true remedy—the buying out of flood-prone
property.
Bard’s
package comprises two bills.
The first bill authorizes local residents
to vote on dedicating tax revenue to financing flood mitigation buy-outs and
other open space acquisitions. The companion bill provides for a statewide
referendum to authorize bond financing for $150 million to purchase
flood-prone properties and open space properties throughout the state.
“In 1996, we in the Southeast
were told that we experienced a 100-year storm-- then we experienced similar
flooding two more times in the short time since,” Bard said.
Hundreds of homes in
Bard’s district, which comprises Abington Township and Rockledge Borough,
were flooded in 1996 when the Sandy Run Creek, which is normally a trickle,
became a raging torrent that tragically killed two elderly people living near
its banks. Many of the homes in
the area were condemned.
Upon reviewing the damage, the
Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) determined that it would be
cost-effective in the long run to buy the properties and preserve the land for
open space. Abington Township purchased 13 homes accordingly.
Bard noted that several
engineering solutions, such as the installation of pipes to channel more
run-off water and the construction of more detention basins, were fruitlessly
implemented between 1996 and Tropical Storm Allison last summer to alleviate
flood hazards. “The problem, however, is that these efforts can’t address
the larger storms,” Bard said. “The
water just runs off faster and overflows the detention basins.
There simply is no place left for the water to go.
“What
was successful was the open space acquisition where there had been 13 homes.
The area absorbed water without property damage. The bottom line is
that for properties that are repeatedly flooded, a buy-out for open space
purposes is the best, if not the only, solution.”
Full
text of Rep. Bard's remarks