Published Wednesday, November 13, 2002
curfew begins tonight
eyes disaster
declaration
By Erin Palko
and Larissa Theodore
Herald Staff Writers
As of tonight, a 9:30 p.m. curfew will be enforced in Clark.
Jefferson-Clark Police Chief Jeff Lockard said anyone who doesn't live in Clark and has no official business in the borough will be told to leave after that time.
Clark Mayor Douglas Bradley said the borough is also trying to get a disaster declaration so that storm victims will be eligible for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"That's our biggest challenge right now," Bradley said. "If we don't get that, we will be financially strapped."
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency assessed the damage on Monday, but Bradley said Tuesday a dollar estimate of the loss was not yet available. Most of the damaged or destroyed homes are at the intersection of Milton and Nora streets.
Representatives from U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum's office, the state departments of Economic Development and Environmental Protection and the governor's office toured the damaged areas of the borough on Tuesday. State Sen. Robert D. "Bob" Robbins, Salem Township, R-50th District, and state Rep. Michael C. Gruitza, Hermitage, D-7th District, are also working to get the borough some financial assistance, Bradley said.
Meanwhile, Clark and South Pymatuning Township residents spent much of Tuesday continuing to clear rubble from their properties where the F-2 tornado touched down Sunday evening.
About 25 homes in South Pymatuning were damaged and between four and six homes were destroyed, said Supervisor Chairman Mike Nashtock. Most of the damaged homes are on Wynwood Drive and Thomason and Valley View roads, he said.
Township road crews, assisted by a road crew from Sharpsville, were out chipping and clearing trees Tuesday. Volunteers also turned out to help.
"There are a lot of volunteers. A lot of good people out there," said Supervisor Burt Devries.
The sight of bonfires throughout the borough and township were common and smoke hung heavy in the air. Bradley asked Clark residents to hold off on burning debris, because DEP will haul it to an area behind the borough building and burn it all at once.
Police will continue to patrol areas where homes were damaged to discourage looters.
"We're not sure how long (the patrols) will last. We have everything under control, but we'll continue until we feel we're ready to release. I can't say enough about the neighboring police departments. They've been a big help," Lockard said.
By 3 p.m. Tuesday, local police together had racked up $11,000 in overtime hours, he said.
Lockard said the moment he stepped out of his patrol car Sunday night after the storm, he felt as if someone had hit him in the face with a bucket of water.
"The sad part is people have lost everything. The reality is we have to move on and put it all behind us," he said.
Bradley was in Virginia Sunday night; he found out about the tornado touch-down at about 10:45 p.m.
When he returned home on Monday, he said, the damage was "much worse than I anticipated."
But Bradley is optimistic about Clark's future. He said Clark people are hardworking, and he is grateful for those outside the borough who have come in to help. He said police, firefighters, county and state officials, the Salvation Army and the Red Cross, have all been doing "a great job."
"We're going to get through it. This community will recover," he said.