Flood Waters Ruin Inventory At Fayette County Food Bank
UNIONTOWN (KDKA) -- It's not the way they were planning to spend the day before Thanksgiving.
The Fayette County Food Bank was closed today after heavy rains caused at least three-feet of water to accumulate inside.
A large amount food being kept on low level shelves in the warehouse was lost in the flood.
The food bank serves around 3,000 families each month.
They had already distributed Thanksgiving supplies, but clients were scheduled to begin picking up food for the rest of the holiday season later this week.
For now, that's being put on hold.
Workers moved food off of the ground and scrubbed mud off of the floors.
Project Manager Jamie Brink got the call around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday that heavy rain was causing the building to flood.
By the time Brink arrived, the water was past her knees.
She estimates around $30,000 in food was lost and that doesn't include damage to administrative offices and the building itself.
Workers are now cleaning any cans that can be salvaged and discarding those that can't.
They'll then have to sanitize the building and have it inspected before they can re-open.
And that's a process that is expected to take at least two weeks.
Food will not be accepted until food bank re-opens. Monetary donations are greatly appreciated and can be mailed to the food bank.
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