8/7/2019 062210 Marine Statue Found

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WB_VOICE - CVDAILY - 12 - 06/22/10 WB_VOICE/PAGES [T12] 06/21/10 22:52 SUPERIMPWB

Thememoryof the AgnesFloodin 1972 lingerslikea ghostaround Wilkes-Barre. Along Charles Street, one home

remains from themany crushedin a deluge of water when alevee gave way 38 years ago. On Public Square, the pavingstones being torn to make way fora new streetescape wereinstalledafterthe watersreceded. Andthe newRiver Com-

mon is toutedas a lavish newpublic park, but it also comeswith a newlevee systemintendedto ward off rising tides.

On Wednesday, the 38th anniversary of the flood, Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton will lead a walking tour of neigh-borhoods in the south section of the city along the levee to

Barney Farms. The tour will start at 6 p.m. in the lobby ofthe Wilkes-Barre YMCA, located at 40 Northampton St. The2-mile walk is expected to last for the duration of 90 minutesor more.

FROM THE BOOK WRATH OF AGNES

Pilings mark the water level where the Susque-hanna River topped levees on June 23, 1972 dur-ing the Agnes Flood on June 23, 1972, and eventu-ally broke through to swamp South Wilkes-Barre.

FROM THE BOOK WRATH OF AGNES

Damage on Charles Street in Wilkes-Barre isseen near the spot where a swollen Susquehan-na River burst through a levee.

SUSAN KOOMAR / THE CITIZENS VOICE

A car drives along the street next to a new leveewall constructed in South Wilkes-Barre after the1972 flood. The reconstructed levees were builthigher to prevent future flooding.

SUSAN KOOMAR / THE CITIZENS VOICE

A surviving building on Charles Street from theAgnes Flood in 1972 still stands today. Severalof the homes destroyed by the floodwaters werereplaced with the Charles Street Park.

Tour commemorates Agnes Flood

Missing statue foundBy Patrick Sweet

Staff Writer

WILKES-BARRE A con-cretestatueof a Marine,stolen

from a Larksville home, wasfoundnear theVirginMary.

The statue disappearedfrom Florena Sorokas front

yard early Saturday morn-ing,leavingher in tears.

TheMarine wasa gift fromher twograndsons,both serv-

ingin the Marine Corps, justbefore they deployed to

Afghanistan. It stood in herfront yard forsix years.

A day afterit wentmissing,though,a manfoundthe stat-

ue after recognizing it froma

storyin The Sunday Voice.The statue was standingon

the walkway leading to the

front porch of AnthonyMorales home anda statueof

the Virgin Mary belonging toMorales landlord. One of

Morales neighbors saw thestatueand,afterfailingto reach

Larksville and Wilkes-Barrepolice,tracked downSorokas.

He called me up and said,Im looking at your statue.

Its in my neighbors yard,Sorokas said.

The neighbor who called,Sorokas said, went and

grabbedthe Marine from thefront of Morales home Sun-

day. Once policearrived,they

verified the statue belonged

to Sorokas and the Marine

wason his way home.

Howthestatue traveled the

more than 4 miles between

each home, though,is a mys-

tery to Morales. I didntknow if the landlord put it

there or if it was a prank,

Morales said of whenhe first

saw itout front of his home.

After a night of drinking

with his friends, Morales said

he saw the Marine when he

returned fromwork Saturday

evening.Morales said a lotof

hisfriends like to pull pranks

andthiscould havebeenone

that wenta little toofar.

I asked one of them, andhe said he didnt know any-

thing about it, Morales said.

He andhis friendsweredrink-

ing in the Larksville area the

night thestatuewas stolen.

Sorokas is thrilled to have

the Marine back. It wasnt

damaged during its journey,

she said, but Sorokas sent it

to a shop to get cleaned up

before she has it cemented to

its original spot.

Im glad I got the same

oneback,Sorokas said.

psweet@citizensvoice.com; 570-821-2117

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