Forks Gets $12,663 for Tropical Storm Irene Damage

Forks Township is getting money back from damage suffered during

The Forks Township Board of Supervisors has been informed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which handles national disasters, will pay the township $12,663 for damage it suffered during Tropical Storm Irene.

Finance Director Jim Farley said he recently received the check from FEMA that will be used to offset expenses incurred by the storm, which ripped through the East Coast last August.

The township incurred $18,000 worth of damage from Tropical Storm Irene, Farley said.

"For recovery, the amount we're getting back is pretty decent," he said.

Irene wreaked havoc for Forks and Palmer townships, the Lehigh Valley and the East Coast, but the damage wasn't as significant as predicted.

Still, for Forks, roads were flooded and closed around Zucksville and Newlins Mill roads. The Bushkill Creek overflowed as well.

The ater experienced sinkholes and a sinkhole right around the time of the storm caused the closure of businesses in a Sullivan Trail strip mall, including , for several months.