DUNMORE, Pa. — Water rushed through the streets of Dunmore late Thursday night. Pennsylvania American water says a 24-inch main burst at the intersection of Quincy Avenue and West Grove Street.
"There's a lot of old pipes in this area, so I don't know. This is the first time in this area. I've been here 23 years and this is the first anything like this has happened here," said Angelo Naro, owner of The Bar at the Patch.
Tiffany Valvano added, "It's shocking. I mean, the water was coming down and it looked like a river. It was rapidly coming down the street."
Friday morning, crews from Pennsylvania American Water were out working to make repairs and clean up the mud and debris left behind.
Valvano lives on Monroe Avenue, not far from where the pipe burst. She says 10 feet of water filled her basement. Her family salvaged what they could, but a lot of what was in the basement had to get thrown out.
"Stuff can be replaced. Obviously it's a lot of baby stuff and heirlooms. Just a lot of stuff that can't be replaced. It's really sad," Valvano said.
Paul Woelkers Jr. lives just a few houses away. He came home after Thanksgiving dinner at his parents to find his basement flooded.
"It sounded like a river. A flood of water was rushing in the basement. I looked and there was about 3 to 4 inches of water in there, so I packed a bag quick, called mom and dad and said, 'Hey guys, I'm coming back up. I can't stay here. I don't have any heat or water.'"
Bar owner Angelo Naro says he was fortunate not a drop of water got into his business on West Grove Street. Despite not having water, he's keeping business as usual.
"I went and I bought a lot of water. I'm going to be boiling water, I got hand sanitizer. I'm going to do the best I could to keep open because I have a party," Naro said.
Woelkers agreed. "It's tough because no one could predict something like this happening, so whenever the shock of it goes away or the anger and other emotions set aside, you have to clear your head, put a plan in place and call someone to come help."
Homeowners tell Newswatch 16 the damage to their homes will be covered by insurance.
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