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Our Opinion: Brace for rising flood risk along Susquehanna River

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Remembering Sept. 11 throughout NEPA

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Each time Linda Armstrong walked into the nonprofit Dress for Success store Wednesday morning to survey damage caused by a blocked water heater two floors above, she found more ruined goods.</p><p>The ceiling tiles, crumpled from the cascade, covered the carpeted floor and clothing racks filled with suits, pants and coats. Soaked shoes were stacked on a shelf and a mink hat used for decoration was a matted mess.</p><p>&#8220;Look at the jewelry,&#8221; Armstrong exclaimed as she spied a heap of soggy boxes.</p><p>Armstrong cancelled two scheduled appointments at the not-for-profit that provides career development and support for disadvantaged women entering the workforce. The women are offered donated clothes free of charge. The founder and executive director of the organization said she could not bring people into the street-level store on West Market Street.</p><p>&#8220;One of the things we always prided ourselves on &#8212; the store was always immaculate,&#8221; said Armstrong.</p><p>Crews repaired a broken water main Tuesday nearby, across from the site of the former Hotel Sterling. Service was returned later that night. Armstrong&#8217;s landlord, John Scavone, called her Wednesday morning to alert her of a problem.</p><p>&#8220;When the water was turned on, it burst the water heater on the third floor,&#8221; Armstrong said.</p><p>&#8220;The water heater got blocked up from mud,&#8221; Scavone added, who got a call from the third-floor tenant around 1:30 a.m.</p><p>The damaged Dress for Success goods are not covered by insurance because they are donated, Armstrong said. &#8220;They all have to be thrown out,&#8221; she said. She could not put a dollar amount on the loss.</p><p>Susan Turcmanovich, a spokeswoman for Pennsylvania American Water, was unaware of the damage, but advised Armstrong to contact the utility&#8217;s customer service department about opening a claim.</p><p>Armstrong began the local program five years ago. The store relocated to its current location two years ago from South Street in order to offer new programs and expanded services.</p><p>A rock was thrown through the South Street store window, but that was the nothing like the water damage, said Armstrong, who has had a history of bad events around this time of year. She worked in Manhattan when the terroristic attacks occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. Her West Pittston house was flooded in 2011 and now her store has been damaged.</p><p>But she paused to collect her thoughts, saying the women who come to her for help often have much bigger problems. Armstrong resolves to get back in business and looks to support from people who have donated their time, resources and clothing to make the program a success.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just going to be a real big struggle,&#8221; she said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Linda Armstrong, founder and executive director of Dress for Success on West Market Street in Wilkes-Barre, said a broken water heater in an apartment above her store ruined much of the donated clothing and jewelry at the not-for-profit organization. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL0910drerssforsuccess.jpg</photo0><caption0>Linda Armstrong, founder and executive director of Dress for Success on West Market Street in Wilkes-Barre, said a broken water heater in an apartment above her store ruined much of the donated clothing and jewelry at the not-for-profit organization. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>How to help</strong></p><p>Contact Linda Armstrong, founder and executive director of Dress for Success, 38 W. Market St., Wilkes-Barre at 570-270-4949.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Clothing damaged by flooding, but Dress for Success founder determined to recover