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Governor tours disaster sites

Wolf: ‘Localized’ disaster may not warrant FEMA help

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, right, and Richard D. Flinn Jr., director of the state Emergency Management Agency, left, answer questions from the media after meeting with officials at the Eldred Township Volunteer Fire Co. on Sunday.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Gov. Tom Wolf shows a map of the location and monitoring of a Sunoco gas leak after meeting with officials at the Eldred Township Volunteer Fire Co. on Sunday. MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, right, and Richard D. Flinn Jr., director of the state Emergency Management Agency, left, answer questions from the media after meeting with officials at the Eldred Township Volunteer Fire Co. on Sunday.

WARRENSVILLE — Gov. Tom Wolf brought a message of reassurance Sunday to flood victims and those concerned about the release of several thousand gallons of gasoline into local waterways.

He spoke to those affected by a release of 55,000 gallons of gasoline from a ruptured Sunoco pipeline after a sample of Loyalsock Creek, taken near the break, was over the maximum contaminant level safe drinking water standard and toured flood-damaged properties north of Williamsport.

The heavy rain and flash flood conditions were contributing factors to the pipeline leak, according to Sunoco officials.

“State agencies, local officials and first responders worked quickly to ensure the safety and well-being of residents and mitigate the effects of the storm,” Wolf said outside the Eldred Township Volunteer Fire Department, which is serving as a command post for Sunoco Logistics as its staff mitigates the impact of the leak at Wallis Run, a tributary to Loyalsock Creek.

The leak has been shut down and nitrogen gas was pumped in to purge the line, said Jeff Shields, a Sunoco spokesman. Maintenance personnel finished capping the north end of the pipeline that crosses Wallis Run at the confluence with Loyalsock Creek, meaning the pipeline is completely sealed on either end. Workers purged the contents in this section with nitrogen and removed the small amount of gasoline that remained in the pipe.

About an 80-foot section of the pipe was removed Sunday evening.

Sunoco representatives were in contact with residents, local officials and first responders to make them aware that heightened gasoline odors would likely accompany Sunday’s work.

“DEP staff will continue to monitor water systems that could be affected by this spill,” said acting DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “And, looking forward, DEP will be working with the communities affected by these floods to rebuild bridges and culverts in the area.”

Additional sampling is being done further down the river in the Harrisburg area. Public water systems have been notified.

The media were not permitted into the fire station while the governor and members of the cabinet met with flood survivors, but Wolf assured the media afterward that attempts to get roads reopened, bridges rebuilt and lives restored remained his administration’s priority.

As for financial help, Wolf said loans may be available from the Small Business Administration but may not be at the federal level based on the preliminary loss estimates.

“This disaster was so localized it doesn’t rise to the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the 2011 disaster when FEMA was on site to help with the recovery,” Wolf said.

Adding more hope for potential FEMA involvement, state Rep. Garth Everett, R-Muncy, said while the disaster may not meet the $18 million cap set for federal emergency funds, the combined losses, which continue to be counted in contiguous counties, such as Lycoming, Clinton, Centre and Sullivan, may exceed the federal government’s limit for FEMA to step in.

State Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) Director Richard D. Flinn Jr. and state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township joined the tour.

PEMA reports that the Incident Management Team deployed to Sullivan County has demobilized and returned to Harrisburg.

PEMA staff are working with county personnel to conduct damage assessments in the affected areas. Teams will spend several days compiling damage reports to gather a comprehensive picture of the extent of the damage, Flinn said.

“While the floodwaters have receded, we know that the recovery process has just begun,” Flinn said, adding the agency would stay in touch with county personnel to ensure survivors have quick access to support the state can provide.

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