Effects of summer flood still haunt Connellsville
As Ethan Mulhorn steps into his front yard, water gushes from the indent his foot leaves behind as he walks toward his home; burned charcoal from summer cookouts still lay inside of the grill. The grass is still growing to cover the tire tracks of the many vehicles that were once parked in the yard.
Furniture, clothes, and personal belongings litter the water soaked yard. The gravel is washed away and all that is left is thick brown mud; the kind that sucks your shoes off your feet.
This was the scene that Mulhorn came to see two months ago, after a flood ravaged nearby Connellsville.
“I was sleeping on my couch in the living room when all of a sudden my parents woke me up and said that there was water pouring underneath the door and into the house,” said Mulhorn.
All he could think about was his grandfather as he rushed across the road through shin deep water, sloshing through the flooding, and into his grandfather’s house.
“That was the first thing I did; I checked on my grandfather. I was shocked that even in my rubber boots the water was almost pouring over and into my boots, every time I took a step some of the water would splash inside and fill my boots up little by little,” said Ethan.
“Everything was a mess.” Houses were being filled with water left and right, resident’s cars were floating down the street, and people were trying to gather their belongings up in order to keep them from getting damaged.
Thankfully, not all of Ethan’s house and belongings were damaged, but the same can not be said for the downstairs of his home.
“We lost everything in the downstairs rooms; the television, our couches, chairs, dining room table, carpet, pictures, movies and CDs, everything,” said Ethan. “It hurt to see my belongings washed away to who-knows-where. What made this place my home was now washed away.”
At one point there were boats floating in the streets picking up residents. Ethan’s grandfather and grandmother were just two of many that were taken away from the disaster. But Ethan and his family refused to leave their home, instead they clamored upstairs and sat until their nightmare was over.
“As soon as I walked outside and onto what was left of my back porch, I saw all of our picnic tables, firewood, side by sides, and all of our things from our porch pushed into one corner of my backyard,” said Ethan, “you couldn’t even see the grass because of the mud.”
The front yard wasn’t any better than the backyard.
“The grass in the front was also covered in mud. The streets were covered with pure muck that was at least 5 inches to 6 inches deep. It all came from the creek that connected to the sewer plant and it smelled like it and looked like it,” said Ethan.“It was disgusting. The house was even covered in black and green muck. It was plastered to my house, almost like it was glued.”
The smell that makes a house a home, the smell that makes a person stop and smile and stand still for a few seconds just to remind themselves that this is their home, was no longer present. It was gone.
“I can’t really describe the smell in my house because I have gotten so used to it over the years that I’ve lived there. It just smelled like home, but now, it smells like a sewer,” said Ethan.
The Mulhorn’s cars were not spared by the flood, his father’s work truck sunk into the ground where the top of the hood was just level with the ground. The rest were completely submerged during the flood leaving them ruined and damaged.
“That night it was down pouring, but I thought nothing of it. I just thought it was a regular storm that would pass, like it always does. Never would I have thought that it would bring what it did, it was a nightmare brought to life,” said Ethan. “I mean, the most valuable thing is my dog’s grave in our backyard; she was the first dog I ever owned and she was the best. To see her tombstone washed away and her grave covered with mud and muck… that killed me,” said Ethan.
Mulhorn’s neighbors lost their whole house; it was destroyed and they had already decided to demolish it because there wasn’t anything left to save, it was no different than fourteen houses that are due to be demolished soon.
Luckily, Ethan’s family had flood insurance.
“I don’t know what we would have done without it; I can only imagine the struggle for the people who didn’t have flood insurance, but the flood insurance couldn’t replace my childhood that was washed away or reduce the anxiousness every time it rains,” said Mulhorn.
Vehicles still floated in the creeks and mud-covered everyday items littered the roads.
“I was shocked and devastated, not only see my house damaged but my neighbors and friends houses damaged too. It was unbelievable,” said Ethan.
As quick as it was over, they were quicker to start rebuilding their home.
“We started fairly quickly, whenever you have friends and family and they come together, it is one of the better things in life. We had at least 35 people at my house. We are so thankful for all that they have done for us, we are truly blessed,” said Mulhorn.
One of Ethan’s good friends, Southmoreland student, Nathan Henry, helped to clean up his friend’s house.
Henry was in Erie at the time of the flood, but he soon caught a glimpse of the damage when he saw his friend’s post on Snapchat. He remembers calling his father who was still in the Connellsville area and warning him about roadblocks and guiding him away from the most treacherous parts of town.
“I remember keeping up with the mayor’s Facebook page. He kept posting long paragraphs about the flood and what was going on, I was in shock; never did I think it would happen to us,” said Henry,.“You see things like this on the news, but you never think it’s going to happen to you until it does.”
When Henry’s trip to Erie with his good friend ended, they drove back home, not knowing what to expect. They heard rumors and saw photos, but it wasn’t enough until they saw it with their own eyes. As Nathan got closer to the town, he started seeing dirt on the highway, branches and giant boulders in the middle of the road, and workers off the sides.
When he got the call from his buddy Ethan, he immediately volunteered to help. But what he saw at Ethan’s house and the houses around it was heart wrenching.
“It was just a big mud hole. His truck’s front end sunk in the ground; it looked like the end of the world. Everything was pretty much gone; his house was white with red shutters but it turned a tree bark brown color, and his house almost looked like it was sagging with the weight of the absorbed water,” said Henry.
Henry, his father, and a couple of good friends of Ethan went to work right away.
“I was usually outside, lifted heavy items; I carried large debris, couches, chairs, tables, and a TV out of the house and yard,” said Henry, “We hooked up a pump to try and rid the yard of all the water but even with the pump working overtime, it still wasn’t enough. The water seemed to keep rising from underneath, my shoes were soaked from it and felt like I was walking on a sponge.”
Ethan and his friends put together his house to where it was once again, liveable, but the Mulhorn’s have no intentions of living there.
“We decided that we would rebuild the house but instead of risking another event of that magnitude, we are putting it up for rent. We don’t want to have to deal with the fear of another flood brewing and destroying our house again,” Ethan said, “I had to go stay at a different friend’s house every night because I couldn’t handle staying in that house, but it is painful to think that I have to give up my house that I’ve lived in since I was 4.”
As the Mulhorn’s made their finishing touches, others were still at the starting line. But the residents of Connellsville didn’t disappoint when they rallied together and helped people from old to young, black to white, and rich to poor.
“This is the most I’ve ever seen Connellsville come together, but it’s sad that in order for people to come together regardless of race or social status, there has to be some devastating disaster or a tragic event,” Mulhorn said. “Volunteers delivered packages of food and drinks to everyone in need. We had so much food at one point that we had no room in our fridge. It was truly a sight to see.”
Two months later, the black and green goo is gone and Mulhorn has his white house back again. The downstairs is gutted, but with it was nothing like it was before. The family is still overcoming the trauma, but with love and support from their family and friends, they are coping and progressing toward the future.
But as it rains, people are always on edge, waiting for another flood to sneak its way into their neighborhood and their homes.
“This is the worst flood I have ever seen in Connellsville, Mulhorn said. “I don’t think anyone that experienced this flood will ever forget it. I know I won’t.”
Sarah Garvin
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