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Two purchases were approved Tuesday to improve response during Susquehanna River flooding – emergency radios and trailers so Market Street flood gate components are ready to go.
The need for portable radios became clear during record flooding in 2011, said Christopher Belleman, executive director of the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority that oversees the Wyoming Valley Levee system.
Relying on cell phones in 2011, authority flood response crews encountered busy signals when attempting to communicate with each other, he said.
“Even the land lines were overwhelmed because so many people were calling to check on people. I couldn’t get through,” Belleman said.
The authority board voted Tuesday to buy eight Kenwood VP6000 two-way portable radios from AMP Global Strategies in Shavertown for $15,960, or $1,995 per unit. During flooding, these radios will be used by authority workers and trained engineers who have volunteered to help monitor the levee system when the river rises, Belleman said.
Three Kenwood VM5000 two-way radios also will be purchased from the same company for authority vehicles at a total cost of $7,125, or $2,375 per unit.
The new equipment will be digital and compatible with the county’s planned 911 emergency radio upgrade project, Belleman said.
Trailers OK’d
Trailers are warranted to store the approximately 96 panels and 30 posts needed for the temporary closure structures on the Kingston and Wilkes-Barre sides of the Market Street Bridge, Belleman said.
The authority approved the purchase Tuesday pending additional verification that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will pick up most of the tab, Belleman said.
The U.S. Army Corps has agreed to fund 75 percent of the cost of trailers because a storage facility for the closure structures should have been included in the levee-raising project, Belleman said.
The state would cover 12.5 percent, with the remaining 12.5 percent funded by the authority, he said. The purchase of six flat-bed trailers will total $107,218, which means the authority share would be around $13,402.
Remaining levee-raising project funds would cover the authority’s portion, which means it won’t be funded by the fee on levee-protected properties, Belleman said.
The trailers will be purchased from Ephrata-based Gold Rush Trailer Sales, the agenda said.
The Market Street closure components are stored in a warehouse near the authority’s rented office space on Laird Street in Plains Township. When the river rises, it takes four workers about a day to ready the components for transport using a hoist, Belleman said. Each panel typically weighs about 1,500 pounds, he said.
Once the trailers are pre-loaded, a truck can be hooked up for immediate transport to Market Street, he said, noting county officials have agreed to furnish trucks in an emergency.
Belleman said he also is working with Wilkes-Barre on the possibility of including a flood authority trailer storage area in plans for a city recreation building upgrade at Kirby Park, which would move the trailers closer to the bridge.
