BAILEY. YEAH, GUYS, THE BOROUGH HAS OPENED UP TWO DIFFERENT DUMPSTER LOCATIONS FOR ANY RESIDENTS WHO HAD ANY DAMAGED ITEMS FROM THAT FLOODING EARLIER IN THE WEEK TO COME HERE AND DUMP THOSE. NOW, AS YOU CAN SEE HOW FULL THAT IS. THIS ONE HAS BEEN OPEN SINCE NOON TODAY, AND WE CAN TELL YOU THAT THEY’VE BEEN PUSHING AND PUSHING ALL OF THOSE ITEMS DOWN. WE HAVE CHRISTMAS TREES. WE HAVE CAR SEATS, STUFFED ANIMALS, MATTRESSES, RUGS, YOU NAME IT. ANYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF THAT YOU MIGHT BE STORING IN YOUR BASEMENT. THESE PEOPLE HAVE LOST. THERE WERE LOTS OF PEOPLE SHARING THEIR STORIES WITH US TODAY. MOUNT JOY RESIDENTS BRINGING MOUNTAINS OF DEBRIS TO THROW AWAY, CARPET. SOME RUGS. I GOT TO COME BACK BECAUSE I HAVE A COUPLE CLOSET DOORS. I GOT IT BECAUSE THEY WERE LIKE PARTICLE BOARD, NEVER STORE A PING PONG TABLE IN THE BASEMENT. THAT’S ALL I’M GOING TO SAY. THE BOROUGH PLACED OPEN DUMPSTERS FOR RESIDENTS. SOME CLOTHING, SHOES, A LOT OF BOXES THAT HAD ODDS AND ENDS IN SOME OF THE STUFF I WAS ABLE TO SAVE. THE ONE ROOF JUST ABOUT COLLAPSED. SO WE HAD TO TAKE THE THE ALL THE INSULATION OUT BECAUSE IT WAS SO FULL OF WATER. SOME OF THOSE ITEMS IRREPLACEABLE. I LOST LIKE ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHY THINGS FROM COLLEGE, YOU KNOW, LIKE ALL THAT MANY OF THEM REMEMBER WHEN FLOODING HAPPENED LESS THAN TEN YEARS AGO? WHERE’D YOU GO THROUGH IT? A COUPLE TIMES. IT GETS EASIER. BUT, YOU KNOW, NOBODY WANTS THIS IN THEIR LIFE. THERE’S BEEN REALLY SOME DEVASTATION IN OUR TOWN. THIS IS A START TO RECOVERY. BUT RESIDENTS SAY THE PROCESS IS NOWHERE NEAR OVER. PROBABLY TWO, THREE WEEKS, MAYBE LONGER, DEPENDING ON HOW LONG IT TAKES ME TO BE ABLE TO GET SOMEBODY TO PUT MY FLOORING IN THE BASEMENT. I GOT ABOUT A HALF INCH OF MUD ON THE FLOOR OF THE BASEMENT, AND WE STILL HAVE TO REPLACE OUR HOT WATER TANKS. CLEANING, HELPING THEIR NEIGHBORS, AND DOING IT ALL WITH A SMILE ON THEIR FACE. THAT’S ALL YOU CAN DO IS JUST. JUST PRAY FOR EVERYBODY ELSE THAT HAS IT WORSE THAN YOU. AND THOSE TWO DIFFERENT DUMPSTER LOCATIONS. THESE ONES ARE SHUTTING DOWN AT 6 P.M. RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY ARE OPEN AGAIN TOMORROW. THERE’S THIS ONE ON JACOB STREET, AND A SECOND ONE ON MELHORN DRIVE. THOSE ARE OPEN FROM 8 A.M. TO NOON TOMORROW. IF ANYONE ELSE IN THE MOUNT JOY BOROUGH HAS ANY DEBRIS LEFT THAT THEY NEED TO GET RID OF FROM THOSE STORMS EARLIER IN THE WEEK. LIVE
Flooded homes leave Mount Joy residents rallying for recovery and cleaning out destroyed belongings
Mount Joy Borough residents face weeks of recovery after heavy flooding left homes severely damaged. Dumpsters provide relief for debris disposal.
Updated: 7:27 PM EDT Jul 18, 2025
Flooding swept through Mount Joy Borough earlier this week, leaving homes with several feet of water in their lower levels. Residents immediately began the process of cleaning up and discarding their destroyed belongings. To assist, the borough provided dumpsters at two locations — 200 S. Jacob Street and 25 S. Melhorn Drive — allowing residents to dispose of waterlogged items like couches, tables, mattresses and other debris.Residents arrived in truckloads, sharing their stories of loss and resilience. Some spoke of carpets, rugs and closet doors made of particleboard that couldn’t be saved. A local couple warned, “Never store a pingpong table in the basement.” Others reflected on salvaging what little they could: “Some clothing, shoes, and odds and ends.” One resident described collapses in roofing and insulation soaked beyond repair. Some, however, faced more personal losses: “I lost all the photography things from college, you know, all that.”This isn’t the first time Mount Joy residents have endured such devastation. Less than a decade ago, severe flooding required a similar recovery process. “Once you go through it a couple of times, it gets easier. But nobody wants this in their life,” another flood victim expressed. Despite the experience, the rebuilding process remains long — residents estimate weeks, or even longer, before flooring can be installed, while others are still cleaning basement mud and replacing essentials like hot water tanks. Despite the ongoing challenges, a spirit of determination and community persists. “You just gotta work hard and don’t give up,” said one borough resident.The borough dumpsters remain accessible to residents on Friday, July 18, from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday, July 19, from 8 a.m. to noon, providing continued support for a community striving to recover together.
MOUNT JOY, Pa. —
Flooding swept through Mount Joy Borough earlier this week, leaving homes with several feet of water in their lower levels. Residents immediately began the process of cleaning up and discarding their destroyed belongings.
To assist, the borough provided dumpsters at two locations — 200 S. Jacob Street and 25 S. Melhorn Drive — allowing residents to dispose of waterlogged items like couches, tables, mattresses and other debris.
Residents arrived in truckloads, sharing their stories of loss and resilience.
Some spoke of carpets, rugs and closet doors made of particleboard that couldn’t be saved. A local couple warned, “Never store a pingpong table in the basement.” Others reflected on salvaging what little they could: “Some clothing, shoes, and odds and ends.”
One resident described collapses in roofing and insulation soaked beyond repair. Some, however, faced more personal losses: “I lost all the photography things from college, you know, all that.”
This isn’t the first time Mount Joy residents have endured such devastation. Less than a decade ago, severe flooding required a similar recovery process.
“Once you go through it a couple of times, it gets easier. But nobody wants this in their life,” another flood victim expressed.
Despite the experience, the rebuilding process remains long — residents estimate weeks, or even longer, before flooring can be installed, while others are still cleaning basement mud and replacing essentials like hot water tanks.
Despite the ongoing challenges, a spirit of determination and community persists.
“You just gotta work hard and don’t give up,” said one borough resident.
The borough dumpsters remain accessible to residents on Friday, July 18, from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday, July 19, from 8 a.m. to noon, providing continued support for a community striving to recover together.