community comm unity review www.jewishharrisburg.org
September 24, 2021 | 18 Tishri 5782 | Vol. 95, No. 20 Published by The Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg | Greater Harrisburg’s Jewish Newspaper
TEN YEARS AFTER:
2011 STORM BROUGHT FLOODING, GOODWILL TO JCC
W
hen the Harrisburg Jewish Community Center was dedicated on Front Street in 1958, community members raved about the beautiful view of the Susquehanna River. When the river poured into the center and caused major damage during Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972 and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011, the water source didn’t seem quite so serene. Yet the center made a comeback both times, thanks to the resiliency and hard work that characterizes Harrisburg’s Jewish community. Ten years ago this month, Tropical Storm Lee came rumbling, filling the swimming pool with mud and water, heavily damaging the mechanical and electrical systems and soaking floors, walls, furniture, equipment, and countless other things that make the Center a second home for so many. Lee brought damage the JCC had not experienced since Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972. In preparation for Lee, JCC staff and volunteers moved everything possible from the ground floor to the first floor. Terri Travers, JCC Director of Sports, Fitness, and Recreation both then and now, said staff members and volunteers used wellcoordinated teamwork. “When we realized how bad it was going to be, we had one day to move things,” she said. “We moved as much as we could from the Early Learning Center and the fitness center to the Mary Sachs Auditorium. Everyone stepped up pretty quick to help.” Alan Roumm said that people involved with the fitness center had learned from previous storms the importance of getting equipment out of the lower level before flooding occurred.
BY MARY KLAUS
JCC Exterior and Interior flooded as a result of 2011's Tropical Storm Lee, ten years ago this month.
“A group of us carried as much equipment upstairs as possible,” he said. “We moved all the exercise bikes, a lot of the weight equipment, and even some of the bigger machines that could fit in the elevator. People from the Early Learning Center were doing the same thing.” After everything not bolted to the ground floor was moved, the JCC was evacuated. Staff and volunteers returned to the center on September 10, 2011 and found massive devastation on the ground floor. JCC/Federation leaders called the damage “overwhelming.” Although the Susquehanna River did not cross the street to the JCC, mud, mold, and toxic substances snuck into the JCC ground floor drains. Seven feet of water covered the large machinery in the boiler room of the building’s lowest level. Nearly five feet of water filled the Early Learning Center, fitness center, locker room, racquetball room, and spa. Muddy and debris-filled water covered the walls, the floors, and the steps. Jay W. Steinberg, then the Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, at the time said restoring the basement carried a $1.5 million price tag. He contacted the flood insurance company and began looking into Federal Emergency Management Agency flood grants. After determining that the building was safe from structural, electrical, and other hazards, staff and volunteers rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Travers said that although the main entrance and first floor were undamaged, the ground floor wasn’t so lucky. Continued on page 4