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Sl,OOO.OOO.OOO.
According ro
U.
S.
Deparrmenr of Agriculrurc officials,
over 37,000 farms in the five-srare arca
received damage. Early agriculrural–
loss estimares were placed ar over $5
million dollars.
Pennsylvania sutfered rhe worsr
damage from Agnes, wirh 50 known
dead and more rhan 250,000 residenrs
homeless.
"Wirhout any doubr iris rhe worst
disaster in the history of Pennsylva–
nia," lamented Governor Shapp. "I
think Pennsylvanians will have every
reason ro rcname Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane
Agony.
' '
Personal
Report
PLAIN
TRUTH regional editOr Dex–
ter Faulkncr, accompanicd by pho–
tographer Larry Dalron, rourcd che
flooded Harrisburg arca and filed the
following hearrrendi ng reporr:
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania:
We have jusr left rhe Harrisburg
airporc terminal. All we can rhink
abour is a now famous line: "Water,
water everywhere, but noc a drop
to
drink." Jusr insidc thc terminal, num–
bers of homeless pcople are being
cared for by the Red Cross. Through–
out rhe terminal, signs warn: "Don'r
drink this warer - Conraminared."
A lack of safc drinking water has
alfecred ar least 80 communities in
Pennsylvania. For fear of largc out·
breaks of discasc, officials have
rcpeatcdly warned against drinking
any water without boiling ir for sev–
era] minutes.
Harrisburg, from che window of
our small Ccssna aircraft, is, as we
wrire, a sea of devasrarion. We won–
der, "How can anyone possibly
describe such misery and destruc–
rion?" Ir is unbelievable. The Susgue–
hanna Rivcr, which runs through
Harrisburg, is dark brown from rhe
rich ropsoil ir has robbcd from Penn–
sylvania's ferrilc farmlands. Signs of
desrrucrion are evidenr whcrever che
swollen river courses. Ir has slammed
trucks through facrory walls, flipped
auromobiles upside down, leaving
rhem mired in the mud. and from our
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