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Floods wash away livelihoods, hope in rural York County

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Bob Cooper, co-owner of Woodbine Saw Company, points to where lumber was usually stacked. It’s now a mess of a few big logs and a lot of mud. Cooper said Friday’s flash flood washed away his livelihood, ruining most of his Lower Chanceford business, which he has owned and operated for 35 years. (Photo: Ty Lohr, York Daily Record)

(Undated) — Bob Cooper was standing on his porch watching the water rise higher and higher on Friday night, until he eventually watched it take away his livelihood.

Along with his wife, Nadine, the Coopers have been operating Woodbine Saw Company for nearly 35 years in Woodbine, just outside of Airville in Lower Chanceford Township. The family gets by with orders to repair small engines, like lawnmowers and chainsaws, and also operating a saw mill behind the building.

This year has been rough for the Coopers, but Bob Cooper knew he would make it out all right, especially with upcoming firewood sales.

But he lost hope when water from the Muddy Creek flooded his building. He watched the current wash away thousands of dollars of logs from his property on Woodbine Road. Some he would recover, others were gone forever.

“I don’t know if we’re going to bounce back from this,” he said on Tuesday. “You’re at the mercy of God at this point in time.”

Southern and eastern York County was the target for most of the damage following flash flooding on Aug. 31. Radar estimates near Hellam Township indicated that nearly 8 inches of rain fell in two hours, according to the National Weather Service in State College.

It was possibly the worst flooding since June 1972, when Hurricane Agnes drenched the area.  

Cooper estimated that the flood waters were nearing 8 feet on his property Friday, sending his air conditioning unit through his basement wall and damaging his dog fences around his front porch.

“We were actually standing on our porch at home, and inside of a half hour (the water) was on our porch,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like that. It happened so fast that we couldn’t move a lot of stuff, and it went inside our business and destroyed it.”

Lumber that was piled in front of the business washed across a field and back into the woods. Inventory throughout the shop was destroyed, damaged or carried away, and the air ducts in his house still have water in them.

It’s been tough for Cooper. His legs aren’t as good as they used to be, after a log fell on his knees and a four-wheeler tumbled over his legs. It’s hard just to walk.

But Mother Nature doesn’t understand that, and despite his physical problems, he and his sons have been rebuilding fences for the dogs, assessing damage around the shop, and doing what they can to feel like they’re making a dent in the rubble.   

‘Complete disaster’

Across the street, his neighbors are experiencing similar troubles.

Gary Andrews spent the four days following the flood removing carpets from his house and hanging them on his porch to dry. Some are still too heavy for him to lift or move by himself.

The 66-year-old had to quit working recently, due to physical problems, and the idea of cleaning all the mud out of his home and garage is a little overwhelming.

“It’s never been this bad,” Andrews said. “Not even close.” He’s been living in the home for a little more than 20 years.

“This is a complete disaster,” he said as he looked around his living room, with the wet marks still on the floor to show where rugs had been and mud sprinkled around.

Andrews doesn’t only feel overwhelmed by the task of cleanup — or fixing up — his house, but he’s also worrying about his health.

A month ago, he was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. He’s still waiting to get test results back to understand how progressive it is.

“I know I can’t do this by myself,” he said. “I need help. Any kind of relief.”

Andrews has flood insurance, but he was told it would only cover structural damage, nothing else.

Behind Andrews’ garage, the outline of a makeshift foundation was the only thing left of Wayne Sliger’s trailer. It flooded, was carried off its foundation and left Sliger with only two pair of shoes and some clothes, nothing else. He’s living with his mother and spent his Tuesday afternoon helping the Coopers rebuild a roof to go over their damaged water well.

Cooper said there is a silver lining in this disaster, though — the friends and family coming to help each other. While it might sound cliché, the thoughts and actions of family friends have helped restore some hope for the Cooper family.

But he’s still worried. 

“I just don’t know if it’s worth trying to save,” Cooper said. “I’m going to stay here as long as I can because I’ve got no place else to go at this point in time.” 

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