Wednesday
September 18, 2024 
Updated: Monday, July 24, 2023 at 11: 45 a.m.
Neighbors in the close-knit community of Maplevale and Meadow drives rallied together July 19 to beg Lower Makefield Supervisors for aid with flood damages.
On July 15, when flash floods began to hit multiple areas, the 50-house neighborhood sustained some of the worst flooding they have endured there in decades. Homeowners were caught off-guard as water rushed in through front doors, cars were submerged and destroyed, backyards were washed away, sinkholes formed, and household appliances, basements and garages were all ruined by the water.
When the supervisors opened the meeting doors to the public on July 19, individuals filled every chair in the room, requiring others to use the standing room as they waited to share their emotional stories.
Neighbors took turns coming up to the podium to describe the impairments to their property and to also share their frustration at the board for not addressing their concerns about drainage issues before.
April Bollwage-Cloer, a resident of Maplevale, came to the podium saying, “I would love to say we didn’t see it coming but we did and we told you. My neighbors called you, I stood here where I’m standing today and I went on record before and I said that we were concerned after the last flood.”
Maplevale has experienced numerous floods due to poor drainage. A stormwater management project was started with an eye toward helping the neighborhood, but after Phase I was completed, locals say they saw no change during the recent storm.
Bollwage-Cloer and her family lost their backyard due to a storm pipe that burst, causing an enormous sinkhole. Their neighborhood is not classified as a flood zone, so homeowners are responsible for their own damage since insurance will not cover them.
“I can’t bring my son home. Who’s going to come out and help us this week? And who’s going to be there next week? Because this isn’t going away and neither are any of us,” Bollwage-Cloer cried.
Dr. Fredric Weiss, who chairs the board of supervisors, responded to the residents, saying that the township would do everything in its power to help.
“As your elected officials, we will do everything possible to expedite plans, and we can shore up things temporarily knowing that rain’s coming and we will do so,” Weiss told the residents. “Feel free to inundate us with reminders, so that we don’t put you on the back burner. Thank you again for expressing your frustrations so well. We have definitely heard you, and we’ll do everything that we can.”
Harry Gamble, a Mapevale resident for nearly 50 years shared how, “We thought this problem was corrected with the roadwork and pipe that was put in. There was nothing that helped us with that construction.”
Gamble and his wife had family visiting, so there was a total of nine vehicles parked in front of their home, which all became destroyed by the flood waters.
“There must be something that can be done,” Gamble said.
Multiple residents also mentioned their past requests for nearby creeks to be cleaned out to assist with flooding.
According to the LMT Public Parks Department, the township has the general permits to conduct a 450-foot gravel bar cleanup of the stream to collect accumulating rocks so the stream can flow more freely, which they hope to accomplish soon.
Residents also shared their irritation about the fast-paced construction of developments around them.
Gregory Luzeckyj, dealing with his fourth flood in 32 years while residing in Maplevale, said, “This town seems to be very good at passing approvals for continued building in areas that used to be farmlands and woods. But I have seen nothing done in our area to help with the expected increase in water flow.”
As individuals came to the podium to share their stories they ended their monologue with an “I hope you take my suggestion seriously,” or “Please don’t forget about us.” Friends and families sat together and consoled each other when restating events became emotional, and the crowd cheered on their speakers during moments of consensus.
The public comment portion of the supervisors meeting lasted two hours until Weiss, closed the comments to address other items on the agenda.
Residents of Maplevale exited the meeting leaving the room empty, their powerful stories still lingering in the air.
Alex Rishel, a Maplevale resident since she was 3 years old started a GoFundMe, “Help For Maplevale Families,” to help raise the funds needed for her neighbors to pay for new appliances, cars and cleaning costs.
“I feel so grateful to have been raised in this pocket of the Philadelphia suburbs. This neighborhood is special,” she said. Rishel hopes to raise a goal of $100,000 to help restore her community.
The neighborhood is still dealing with clean-ups after the storm while the fear of their homes being hit again continues unabated.
“Everyone has been reaching out but no one’s helping still,” said Bollwage-Cloer. “It’s still us. My neighbors are still digging out mud from their crawlspace. We have boys from college in the neighborhood grabbing debris out of the drain to try and prevent flooding.”
“We heard “we’ll get back to you, you won’t be forgotten” after the other three floods but we have been forgotten,” Luzeckyj said. “It’s the result of negligence and incompliance (sic) on the township's part.”
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