BY ROBERT SWIFT
Times-Shamrock Writer

Three years ago, the worst flooding in the Susquehanna River Basin in four decades led to widespread destruction and damage to homes, businesses, roads and public works.

The massive flooding was a consequence of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, which dealt a one-two punch to Pennsylvania and other Northeast states.

The scope of the destruction led to presidential disaster declarations and the arrival of federal aid. But there was also discussion early on about what type of state disaster aid should be made available.

Northeast region lawmakers introduced legislation to authorize the borrowing of millions of dollars for this purpose, but those bills were blocked in the House. The state Transportation Department quietly transferred money from other areas to fix bridges and roads in the flood-damaged areas.

The impact led Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., to propose creating a standing state disaster aid program. This fund would be tapped for disasters where damage estimates fell below the financial threshold to obtain federal aid or where supplemental aid would help.

Several months before the massive Susquehanna flooding, she had seen an example of the damage a localized disaster can cause. This was a flash flood in July 2011 in Plymouth borough and Plymouth Twp.

The damage was estimated at $1.3 million, Plymouth Twp. Supervisor Joseph Yudichak told a legislative hearing that Ms. Baker chaired. The amount was below the federal threshold, but it was a big drain on the township budget.

A more recent example is a flash flood in August that caused more than $400,000 in damage in Choconut and Forest Lake townships in Susquehanna County.

Ms. Baker’s legislation to create a state disaster assistance program won final legislative approval last week. The program, under the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, will provide state grants to help repair damage to public roads, bridges and wastewater treatment systems. The program that emerged through the legislative process is narrower in scope than Ms. Baker initially proposed. She included primary residences, personal property and public facilities as program beneficiaries when she introduced the bill.

The current state budget provides $3 million for state disaster aid, but Gov. Tom Corbett put a hold on that money by placing it in budgetary reserve after a spat with lawmakers over legislative priorities.

Ms. Baker expressed confidence that money would be released if needed for a disaster.

And, she noted, it’s not too long before planning starts for the 2014-15 state budget.

Veto threat
Any move to transfer control of the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program away from the governor’s office won’t get by Mr. Corbett.

The governor will veto a bill to give the legislative-controlled Commonwealth Financing Authority authority over those grants if it reaches his desk, Corbett spokesman Jay Pagni said.

He said the governor has a good track record of obliging requests by lawmakers for RACP grants in their districts.

The idea surfaced when a Senate committee amended a House-approved bill to reduce the RACP debt.

The bill may have run its course as the Senate wrapped up work for the session last week without passing it.