PAXINOS - During the Flood of 2011 three weeks ago, Joe Reidinger was taken to the hospital for a possible heart attack. The Paxinos business owner, who was suffering from angina, was told by doctors to slow down, but he wonders - especially after heavy rainfall this week caused more damage to his property - how that's even possible.
"How do you slow down in a situation like this? So many people depend on you; you got to keep going," the 83-year-old said Friday afternoon in the wake of the most recent flooding.
Although the Flood of 2011 broke records across the county and neighboring areas, the heavy rainstorms and flash flooding Wednesday night posed a bigger threat to his 45-year-old business, Reidinger Trucking. In Reidinger's workshop, the water was 51 inches deep Wednesday night, compared to 46 inches three weeks ago.
Employees of K&S Music, located next door, agreed, estimating the damage to their business was just as bad and the waters even higher than before.
High water from Lick Creek that flows through Meadowview was too much for a culvert at the end of Paxinos to handle. The culvert, which normally carries water underneath state Route 61 and a portion of Masser's Restaurant before entering Shamokin Creek, was full, sending excess water down the southbound lanes, flooding the intersection of routes 61 and 487.
The water crossed the northbound lanes, then drained into a depression where the two business are located.
Once water reached several feet deep at that location, it crossed Route 487 at the train tracks and flowed into the Paxinos Flea Market parking lot. The high flow damaged the parking lot, forming a hook-like pattern.
Thousands in damage
Reidinger and his four employees were busy Friday sorting through the damaged and muddy possessions and property. During the first flood, they attempted to move the expensive tools, but the rain fell so quickly they were forced to leave. They were still in the process of cleaning up and fixing damages when the most recent storm hit. This time, they weren't able to move anything out.
Reidinger said it's the mud, not the water, that hurts them. Thick sludge destroyed a 12-foot-long steel cutting tool that weights nearly two tons. To replace it might cost $60,000. It will cost an additional $35,000 to replace the rest of his tools. Those estimates don't include the cost of cleaning and repairing the building itself.
On top of that, he has two houses that also experienced flood damage.
At the music store next door, employee Mike Krebs said the water damaged everything in their basement and a significant amount of supplies and equipment were lost, including amps costing nearly $1,000.
Although the water was higher than it had been three weeks ago, it wasn't high enough to reach the first floor where the actual store is located and the majority of their stock was spared.
In the parking lot, Wednesday's flash flood moved two full-sized Dumpsters and several railroad ties. On Friday, a pile of mud-covered music equipment and debris sat beside the Dumpster.
On one side of the store, facing the highway on Route 61, Krebs said the water was ankle-deep. However, on the other side facing Reidinger's property, it was waist deep or higher.
"The first time we were prepared. The second time it caught us off guard," manager Dale Fahringer said.
K&S is a 30-year-old business owned by Dave Berkheiser and has been in Paxinos for 20 years.
Starting again
Fahringer said Friday they didn't have a full estimate of the cost of damage because they were still taking inventory and checking damage when the second wave hit Wednesday.
Reidinger said he was attempting to stay away from state or federal assistance at first, but might not have a choice now.
Despite the hardships, he was in good spirits Friday.
"I can rebuild. People who lost everything, they have nothing to start with. I'm fortunate that I can start again," he said.
(Staff Writer Larry Deklinski contributed to this report.)