Carlisle credits emergency crews after '1,000‑year' storm; cleanup, utilities work continue

Mayor called the July 2 workshop to order and opened by thanking firefighters, police, public‑works crews and utility staff for their emergency response after a rare storm earlier in the week. "A very rare occurrence," the mayor said, calling the event a "1,000‑year storm" and asking the council and public to keep impacted residents in mind.

Carlisle Fire Chief O'Donnell told council the borough logged dozens of emergency responses and staged a command post at Union Fire Company to coordinate mutual aid and road clearings. "We documented 75 responses," Chief O'Donnell said, noting the number did not include calls documented after command post demobilization. He said mutual‑aid companies and county resources were staged to reopen roadways, assist with water rescues and help remove downed trees and wires.

Utility outages peaked at about 5,600 accounts on the night of the event and fell to roughly 900 the next day, Chief O'Donnell said; at the time of the workshop he estimated about 70 customers remained without power and said restoration schedules could change. He said borough staff had been monitoring nursing homes and the hospital for infrastructure needs and that an after‑action review of emergency operations is planned.

The mayor and staff also described the borough’s longer‑term stormwater work. Officials said Carlisle created a stormwater master plan several years ago that identified seven priority projects with a combined cost of approximately $18,000,000; the largest single project was described as about $9,000,000 and the smallest about $100,000. Officials said the borough will pursue a mix of stormwater fee revenue, grants and partnerships with other governments and private partners — and that some projects will require coordination with PennDOT.

Officials reminded residents to avoid driving through high water and to take care when clearing debris so that runoff is not pushed into buildings. Chief O'Donnell and the mayor said public‑works crews, utility workers and volunteers were continuing removal of weakened trees and branches and that the borough will review the response to identify improvements for future events.

Council and staff emphasized that cleanup work would continue while power companies finish restoration, and they asked residents with safety concerns to report them to borough staff.

Looking ahead, borough staff said they will perform an after‑action assessment of emergency response and continue outreach about cleanup, utility restoration and steps residents can take to protect property after flooding.