Repairs Begin On Flash Flooding Damage In Lower Makefield Twp.

LOWER MAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA —Work has begun to repair the damage caused by flash flooding in a township neighborhood and an area near the Delaware Canal.

State Sen. Steve Santarsiero said work started Monday to make repairs in the Maplevale neighborhood and where sinkholes opened in the backyards of some homes along the Delaware Canal.

"Since the storm happened almost two weeks ago, I’ve made several visits to the neighborhood," the senator said.

He said his office has worked with Lower Makefield Township officials, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources —which oversees the canal —the state Department of Environmental Protection, and state Rep. Perry Warren's office to expedite the work.

"We want to protect the homeowners who have been most severely impacted," the senator said. "We will continue to stay on top of things as the work proceeds."

A fast-moving storm on a Saturday afternoon in mid-July drenched the township with about 6 inches of rain, causing flash flooding and claiming the lives of six people in nearby Upper Makefield Township.

Several homes on Maplevale Drive suffered water damage and erosion to their backyards, said Jennifer Walker, executive assistant to Police Chief Kenneth Coluzzi.

The police chief, police department, and township officials met with the residents there and placed dumpsters on the street for residents to clean out their homes, Walker said.