'Government, which Commission is commonly known as the Hoover Commission. In order to carry out our assignment, we plan to hold hearings in various parts of the country. We shall appreciate your testimony, giving the complete story of the flood as it affected the city of Bethlehem and surrounding area. It would be helpful if you could show the effect of the flood on the transportation service, including the amount of damage suffered by the transportation companies, the extent of disruption of service, and the effect on utility services with special reference to the water-supply problem. It would be helpful to the committee if you could show the amount dollarwise of the direct and indirect losses resulting from the flood as well as the loss of lives. We should also appreciate being given a picture of any other water problems facing the city, such as water supply, pollution, navigation, etc. After telling the story of what happened as a result of the flood, you might be able to outline any plans that the city had in the past which would have alleviated the damage caused by the flood which the city had been unable to go ahead with, as well as telling of any new plans which have been formulated as a result of the flood. In addition to this, if you are familiar with the Hoover Commission Report, the committee would appreciate your opinion as to what the results would be on the proposed plans to prevent damage from future floods if the recommendations contained in the Hoover Commission Report were adopted by Congress. However, if you are not in a position to comment on the Hoover Cmmission Report, your testimony will still be most helpful. In any event, the committee would be interested in learning if, in your opinion, Federal financial assistance would be required in order to alleviate the damages from future floods. The Committee wishes to thank you for your cooperation and is looking forward to seeing you at the hearing at Pocono Manor. With kindest personal regards, I am Sincerely, WILLIAM C. WISE, Staff Director. STATEMENT OF HON. EARL E. SCHAFFER, MAYOR, BETHLEHEM, Pa. DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND RELIEF On August 8 the Weather Bureau issued a hurricane alert (Connie). On August 9, the HAMS checked radio equipment and generator at the Chapter House. On August 11 the Weather Bureau canceled the alert. The Weather Bureau issued flood warnings on Thursday evening, August 18Hurricane Diane and the disaster committee personnel were alerted for duty and assembled at headquarters by midnight. The crest of 24.5 feet was reached on August 19 at 11 a. m., held for an hour, and then slowly receded. Survey Committee Mr. Clarence Haney, chairman, and committee functioned during the rise of the river and reported need for evacuation to the rescue committee. They continued to survey for a period of 4 days through a house-to-house canvass and submitted a full report on the extent of damage to buildings and contents. There were 4 areas in the Chapter territory flooded: The Vineyard Street section of Bethlehem, 122 homes; the Newport section of Northampton, 118 homes; Freemansburg, 115 homes; and lower Saucon Township, 21 homes. Of these 366, 1 home was destroyed, 3 condemned, 4 had major damages, and the balance suffered minor damages. Survey was also instrumental in informing the county health department of the lack of drinking water in the Steel City area and arranged for supplying this area with water until the health unit had chlorinated the wells, tested and approved the water for consumption. Arrangements were made also for procurement and distribution of lime in this area. Rescue Committee Mr. William L. Weiss, chairman, and members of the committee evacuated approximately 45 persons from the Vineyard Street section; 27 families in Freemansburg; and 10 families in Steel City. First aiders assisted with stretcher cases. Shelter Committee Twenty-four families of 61 persons were taken to the Naval Reserve training center. Temporary quarters in the Public Housing Authority were arranged for some and others were taken to friends and relatives. The balance were able to return to their homes Saturday evening and the shelter was closed. Food Committee Canteen started serving coffee and doughnuts at 4 o'clock Friday morning at Vineyard Street, Freemansburg, and at the shelter. Later that day meals were prepared for the evacuees at the shelter and the staff of volunteers at the Chapter House. When it became necessary, because of lack of cooking facilities in homes, to feed over 600 in Bethlehem, Freemansburg, Steel City, and the National Guard at Raubsville (Easton Chapter territory), Mr. Jack Gordon of the Saucon Valley Country Club was called. He arranged for procurement of approximately 4,000 meals from the Saucon Valley Country Club, the Bethlehem Steel Club, and the Hotel Bethlehem to be served by Canteen. Clothing Committee Mr. Nat Glazier, chairman, and members of his committee sorted donated new and used clothing in the barn. When these facilities became overcrowded, theexcess was stored in the showroom of City Motors, was later boxed by the Jaycees and taken to the Bethlehem Steel warehouse until needed. Chapter committee volunteers and volunteers from the community have continued to man the barn every day in order to fill warehouse orders issued by case workers. On Wednesday, August 25, two truckloads of clothing and furniture were taken to East Stroudsburg Disaster Headquarters. Medical and nursing aid committee Dr. Richard Refowich, vice chairman of the disaster committee, also functioned as medical aid chairman at the shelter and at headquarters. Miss Naomi Houser, disaster nurse, and members of her committee arranged for nursing coverage at the shelter on 8-hour shifts. First aiders set up emergency stations in Freemansburg and Steel City on a 24-hour basis and gave emergency care to approximately 250 workers injured doing cleanup work. Medical supplies, sterno, hypodermic needles were procured locally and sent to Stroudsburg at their request. Transportation committee Mr. John Hittinger, chairman, arranged for transportation necessary when families were being evacuated and has arranged for the moving of complete household furnishings and heavy articles for families locating in new quarters. Mrs. Earnest R. Armstrong, service groups chairman, and Mrs. Earl Kunsman, motor service, or their alternates, dispatched volunteer trucks and drivers with food and canteen workers, controlled the pickups and deliveries of donated furniture and clothing, arranged for the delivery and pickup of the flood appeal coin boxes, provided transportation for the building inspectors from National, and took care of the many other errands connected with the total operation. Outstanding service was provided by the USMCR and USNR, Army recruiting personnel and numerous business firms and individuals in the community. Communications committee Mr. Arthur McCracken, chairman, coordinated the work of the DelawareLehigh Amateur Radio League. During the first period of the emergency, mobile operators stationed in various affected areas provided direct communications between the survey and rescue teams and the chapter house. On Saturday when the TWX terminal at Bound Brook asked if we could establish contact with Pike County, 2 operators with equipment and the Chapter generator were airlifted by helicopter to Milford and remained until Thursday night, August 25. This unit served as the communications outlet for Governor Leader's organized evacuation of the Pocono camps. On Sunday, Stroudsburg requested mobile equipment and 8 HAMS were dispatched to the area and remained 2 days. Reports on the conditions of the camps in the Pocono area were referred to us and a list of these was logged for persons requesting information and for broadcasting. Other important messages and anouncements were relayed by Mr. McCracken to Station WGPA for broadcasting. Junior Red Cross members served as messengers at disaster headquarters. Family service committee Mrs. Oliver Holton, chairman, and members of her committee 4 volunteer caseworkers from the telephones at disaster headquarters, handled 79 welfare inquiries, kept a control on offers of food, clothing, and household furnishings, issued warehouse orders for these donated goods, issued disbursing orders to meet emergency needs for shelter, food, clothing, and medical care, set up headquarters for 2 days at St. Joseph's Hall, Northampton, to meet the emergency needs in that area, and provided necessary clerical and stenographic assistance at the chapter house. The home service staff, 2 volunteer interviewers, 4 disaster caseworkers from the National Red Cross staff, and a visitor released by the Northampton County DPA are processing the applications for rehabilitation assistance. Applications for this assistance were mailed to all families on file for emergency aid and all families reported by the survey teams, and were distributed to the other homes in the areas by members of the MORA Club. The case registration to date totals 261. Eight thousand, seven hundred and forty-two dollars and eleven cents has been expended to date for emergency assistance. Fund-raising committee Mr. M. W. VanBilliard, chairman, cleared the flood appeal with the fund-coordination council of the chamber of commerce and arranged for the distribution of coin boxes to the nine banks in the chapter territory. The voluntary appeal has resulted in receipts of $22,512.93 to date. Thank-you letters have been sent to all contributors. Public information committee Mr. C. Fred Ritter, chairman, and reporters from the Globe Times and Allentown Morning Call have told the story of the local operation and supported the flood appeal. TV material sent by National was delivered to WLEV. Supply committee Cots and blankets to supplement the chapter stock were borrowed from the Bethlehem Steel Co. and the Lehigh County chapter for the National Guard, the P. P. & L. Co. at Martin's Creek, the Eatson and Bethlehem chapter shelters, and families placed in temporary quarters. People offering furniture were asked to hold it until plans could be completed for placing it where needed. Members of the MORA Club visited the donors' homes to make a detailed inventory for use by the caseworkers. Every attempt was made to control these donations but some were brought to the chapter house and have been stored temporarily at the Coca-Cola Co. Thank-you letters have been sent by the chapter chairman to all persons volunteering services, and to those donating, or offering to donate, household furnishings and other supplies. The chapter chairman and members of the board of directors manned the control desk at disaster headquarters from August 19 through September 3, and were responsible for special assignments in order to assist the disaster committee in performing its many functions. An advisory committee composed of representatives from Bethlehem, Freemansburg, Northampton, and the board of directors has been appointed to review rehabilitation award recommendations. The total cost locally for mass care, emergency grants and rehabilitation awards has been estimated at $34,000. A meeting of the disaster committee and the board members assisting was held on September 8 to review the emergency operation and to consider steps for improving the organization. The disaster chairman has arranged a meeting with city officials for September 14 to review Red Cross and governmental responsibilities at time of natural disasters. A log was maintained at disaster headquarters during the entire operation which gives a complete report of the work done by committees and volunteers and is available for review. The chapter received many phone calls from persons offering services and resources and a file of this information has been set up for future reference. Flood damage, city of Bethlehem, Pa. 1. Sewage-treatment plant: (Preliminary estimate) Repairs to 2 steam generators for heating plant timing units and Replacement of lubricants and ferric chloride__. 31 motors, removed, cleaned, rewound, and replaced, and replacing Total---- 2. Trunk sewer repairs (Bethlehem Steel Co.) $300 400 2, 800 3,500 (work done by 1, 720 970 270 P. B. & N. E. R. R.) for repairing tracks and inspecting manholes, etc. 3. Street and sewer department: Overtime wages to personnel_. 4. Gasoline and oils for all departments 5. Department of public safety: Overtime wages to personnel__ Total___. 6. Paint shop losses-- 7. Monocacy Creek clearance (by Robert F. Sell): Equipment rental___. 8. Lehigh River pumping station: Rewinding 2 250-horsepower motors__ Transfer and switchgear reconditioning and replacements_‒‒‒‒‒ Total___ Grand total____ Mr. JONES. Our next witness is Mr. Wesley S. Thomas, secretarytreasurer of the Pennsylvania Rural Electrification Association. Mr. Thomas, you may proceed. Mr. THOMAS. I appreciate the opportunity of coming to Pocono. Mr. THOMAS. If you ever have occasion to come up into Pennsylvania, I hope-not on the same mission, however-that you will come to Sullivan County-I hope the management doesn't hear these remarks—and, too, Mr. Chairman, we'll keep the wolves from howling all night. STATEMENT OF WESLEY S. THOMAS, SECRETARY-TREASURER, Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Chairman, and members of the subcommittee, my name is Wesley S. Thomas. I am manager of the Sullivan County Rural Electric Cooperative with offices at Forksville, Pa. The cooperative serves a predominately submarginal area with a membership of 1,885, operating 472 miles of distribution line. I also act as secretary to the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, a service organization of the 13 rural electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania. The devastation that has just hit the eastern part of our great Commonwealth with a tragic loss of life, and many of them innocent children, in addition to the unaccountable property damage and the destruction of life and property in the States to the east is a serious catastrophe and a reminder to everyone that some plan of action should be developed to eliminate a similar situation in the future. It would be erroneous for me, as an individual, or anyone else to suggest a program and say that it would correct the wide and varied destruction over a multi-State area. This can only come about by cooperation of the Federal Government, the several States, and the interests within those States. I believe we can all agree after witnessing the degradation, that it is imperative to become positive minded on remedial action. The great watersheds elsewhere have been brought under control to a great extent and made to serve the people of an area rather than destroy. Why has the Northeast been permitted to drift on a course such as we are experiencing at this time? Why have not the water resources of this vast area been channeled to serve? All that has been done for 30 years has been to waste words-words by selfish interests that fail to see or will not see beyond their own domain. These interests in their narrow and limited scope care not for interests "beyond the horizon." As a result, the public suffers, both physically as well as economically. Let us take a brief moment to specifically cite some of these so-called interests. The coal industry, both the miners and the operators, have always turned a deaf ear on anything that they could reason might adversely affect coal. The coal industry today is a sick industry and more specifically tied to Pennsylvania's economic welfare, but I would like to ask at this time if the development of our water resources and any allied economically feasible electric power in the Northeast has contributed to the coal industry's illness? The miners and operators cannot blame conservation and the development of water resources for their plight. It is a natural evolution of use, comparable to the railroads taking over the burdens of the old canal boats years ago. However, there is one big difference, for the coal industry has its place in our economy and it will always be a vital part of this great industrial Nation. Reverse the thinking somewhat and explore to see what is possible with coal. If all the practical and feasible development of our water resources were completed by 1965 this development would total less than 20 percent of our national requirements. It is calculated that the average annual use of electrical energy on the farms and in the home of the Nation will be 5,000 kilowatt-hours by 1965, in addition to the industrial use. Surely only a small part of the growth can be satisfied by development of our rivers. The firm kilowatt load can be carried by coal on a 24-hour basis which would make a tremendous economy in production and subsequent cost to the public. The river developments, as far as they will be able to do so, can supply the peak loads which are expensive loads, but they would become a low-cost supply and at the same time be a means of controlling river flow in a safe and sane manner. This combined use of coal and water will tend to show a favorable cost to the public and a marked annual increase in coal consumption. This latter is what the coal industry seeks and what the rest of us wish. It is my understanding that Mr. Oakes, president of the Pennsylvania Power & Light Co., of Allentown, Pa., stated just after the disaster and with reference to the company's Wallenpaupack Dam |