Pine Grove Area was hit with tropical depression Ida on September 1-2, 2021, leaving behind flooding, downed trees, and closed roads. Ida made landfall in Louisiana as a category 4 hurricane, and quickly moved to the north. As heavy rain began to fall, Pine Grove Area School District let students out early on Wednesday, September 1, and the rain persisted through the night. Due to wide-spread flooding, PGASD had to cancel school on Thursday. 

“We responded to multiple emergencies regarding the storm, including downed trees and clogged storm drains”, said Patrick Kimmel, Assistant Chief of Donaldson Fire Company. Kimmel continued, “The flooding wasn’t as bad as most of us expected in our area, just a few inches of water in some basements. I would like to tell the community to make sure drains outside and inside your home are cleaned out when expecting heavy rain.” 

Lee Stubhar is the Deputy Fire Chief of North End Fire Company, Pine Grove. He said “North End Fire Company responded to 17 calls during the flooding, including water rescues, pump details, and two structure fires. On multiple occasions, we had to cross flooded road ways. There was minimal damage, to my knowledge.” Strubhar stressed the importance of safety in flooding situations saying “turn around, don’t drown when approaching flooded roadways, and never go around cones or barricades. During heavy rain, if you hear 3 minutes of the Fire Siren, it means flooding has occurred.”