Oakmont declares state of emergency during severe storms Thursday

OAKMONT, Pa. — The Borough of Oakmont declared a state of emergency during Thursday’s severe storms.

The storms toppled trees, flooded roads and knocked out power to thousands of Western Pennsylvania residents.

>>> PHOTOS: Storms sweep through Western Pennsylvania <<<

Thursday evening, Mayor Sophia Facaros issued a Declaration of Disaster Emergency. That allows the borough to hasten procurement to meet cleanup demands, officials say.

As for damaged or downed trees, officials say these have been identified and no longer need to be reported.

The borough will clear trees between curbs and sidewalks, provided Duquesne Light Co. has removed any wires. The borough will clear private trees off of sidewalks and roads, but will not remove the tree itself.

Roadside piles of tree limbs won’t be addressed until next week, officials say.

Public amenities, school disrupted

Riverside Park is closed to the public until further notice.

The Oakmont Carnegie Library says it is closed until further notice due to “flooding and extensive damage to our lower level.”

Riverview School District canceled classes after consulting with local officials and first responders. In a social media post, the district cited downed power lines, unsafe road conditions and storm-related hazards across Oakmont and Verona.

Early Friday, Channel 11 crews saw damage left behind by the storms, including a tree that had fallen onto a home along Maryland Avenue.

We also saw a large tree that fell into the roadway at Ninth Street and Delaware Avenue.

Ninth Street and Delaware Avenue tree down

Neighbors pick up the pieces

“It’s pretty rough out here,” said Russ Anderson, who arrived early Thursday morning to check on his business. “I just came early just to see if we had any mess to clean up. We’re one of the fortunate ones compared to some of these.”

Across the borough, residents were assessing damage to their homes.

“I could hear the wind between the houses come through like a wind tunnel,” Shontz said. “It ripped off the gutter on the house,” said Melissa Shontz.

Tom Gemmell said a tree branch struck his chimney, damaging part of the brickwork.

“I did get sustained damage to my house,” Gemmell said. “A tree branch struck my chimney, took down a part of the brickwork, so I have to figure out what I’m gonna do there.”

Despite the damage and extensive cleanup ahead, residents said they were grateful the storm did not cause more serious injuries or destruction.

“A tree like this could come through the roof of my house,” said Gemmell. “There’s always something worse than just some bricks missing from a chimney.”

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