Fallen trees and debris are piled up in Bellevue Park following a tornado touchdown in Harrisburg.
Harrisburg will seek state funding to help cover costs incurred from the cleanup of damage from Friday’s severe storm.
According to the city, a tornado caused by remnants of Hurricane Debby touched down in Harrisburg on Friday, damaging 111 properties. The storm wreaked havoc on businesses and residences, with the Bellevue Park neighborhood in Allison Hill sustaining the most significant damage.
The National Weather Service later confirmed that an EF-1 tornado, with wind speeds up to 105 mph, tore a 3.5-mile path of destruction from Swatara Township through Harrisburg to Susquehanna Township early Friday morning.
Since Friday, the city’s Public Works Department has been working in the area, from around Derry Street to Penbrook, to clean up fallen trees and debris.
City Communications Director Matt Maisel said that Harrisburg is submitting estimates of the total cost to the city of labor and resources used for the cleanup, in hopes of getting the PA Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) to issue a disaster declaration. If a declaration is in place, the city will be eligible for state financial assistance.
Harrisburg Fire Bureau Chief Brian Enterline estimated the cost of storm cleanup at about $417,000 total, with debris removal at about $150,000, road repairs at $100,000 and utility repairs, including 34 damaged street lights, at $167,000.
These are costs solely incurred by the city, not costs of damage to property owners, city officials explained.
Roots of a fallen tree, due to a tornado spawned from the remnants of Hurricane Debby, damaged a sidewalk in Bellevue Park.
The city will submit its estimates to Dauphin County, which will then go to the governor’s office and to PEMA to make a decision. Enterline said that PEMA typically covers about 75% of the total cost of the city’s expenses in these cases.
The city estimates that cleanup work may be finished by the end of the week.
Public Works will dispose of any debris that property owners affected by the storm place outside for pickup and will assist with removing debris on residents’ property, with written permission. Community members in need of assistance can contact Public Works Director Dave West directly at [email protected].
Pennsylvania Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (PAVOAD) and Crisis Cleanup have also set up a call center to streamline assistance. By calling 844-965-1386, people can register to receive cleanup assistance from volunteers with local, regional and statewide PAVOAD organizations. Volunteers can help with muck-out operations, tree removal and debris cleanup.
The city is also keeping all collected wood to offer to city residents in the near future. More information will be forthcoming.
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