Politics & Government
Why the State of Emergency in Upper St. Clair?
The decision was made by township officials.
Not every municipality in Allegheny County declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, but Upper St. Clair Township did.
The township was hit hard, especially along McLaughlin Run/McMurray Road, by three large storms in less than 24 hours. The rainfall caused significant flooding.
On Thursday, township Manager Matt Serakowski explained why municipal leaders declared the state.
"The declaration allows us to take steps to reduce the severity of impacts of the storms in a more effective and efficient manner while protecting the health, safety and welfare of the community," Serakowski said. "In addition, it allows the township and surrounding municipalities the ability to recover costs resulting from the emergency response to the disaster if said funds are made available by the state and federal governments."
As it turns out, the state and federal governments have not made funds available for Upper St. Clair—not yet, anyway—to help to handle the damage caused by Wednesday's flooding.
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