"We’ll I’ve done work in construction before,” said Dale Thompkins, who lives on Laurel Road in Chanceford Township, York County.
Thank goodness he has.
That experience is coming in handy now, after last months storm damaged much of Chanceford Township, including the Thompkins’ bridge to their driveway.
“We had to come through this and climb up this little ladder onto the front of the bridge in order to get into the house,” said Rose Thompkins, Dale's wife.
The Thompkins’ home was just one of many stops made by the York County Office of Emergency Management, as they showed federal agencies the extent of the storm damage in the area.
“I’m gonna sum it up by telling you that a 14 year veteran of PEMA stood next to otter creek and said, ‘I’ve never seen anything this bad,’” said Mark Walters, York County public information officer.
Among the federal agencies was the Small Business Association.
After natural disasters, the SBA visits the area, and uses a formula to assess the damages to apply for a disaster declaration.
The goal is to gain federal funds to assist victims, like the Thompkins, in paying for repairs.
“We are fortunate. We didn’t lose our home. The only thing that went was the bridge. So god was good to us,” said Dale.
The Thompkins’ have spent the last three days trying to put their bridge back together.
And despite the devastation the storm caused in York County, Walters says watching people like the Thompkins rebuild their lives is inspiring.
“Resilliancy is definitely alive and well in York County as this community continues to recover,” said Walters.
