Storm damage from the weekend has knocked out utilities and forced campground closures at Laurel Hill State Park in Somerset County, where downed trees are still scattered across the land.
Park officials said power, water and sewage service are out at the park, limiting what visitors can do. Park Operations Manager Ben Monk said the main priority since Saturday has been making sure people who were already there were safe and clearing the park’s roadways, a process he said is nearly complete.
Not all activities are shut down. Monk said visitors can still hike and bike and can also visit Laurel Hill State Park’s beach, even though many trails have not been cleared yet.
However, restrooms and water fountains are not available because they have been shut off, and all campgrounds have been closed.
“Currently we have all the sites blocked, and that block is in place until the weekend. We don’t know exactly when the power is going to be back on. As soon as the power is back on we’ll get everything running again, and we’ll be happy to have visitors come right back to the park,”
Monk said park officials and outside companies are working to restore power and other utilities, and they hope to have service restored and all activities available again by this weekend.
Asked whether the park needs help from the community, Monk said the work is too dangerous for untrained volunteers.
“Our trees, they’re very difficult to deal with. It’s a huge safety issue to have someone who’s not properly trained to address the issues that we’re dealing with right now, and with down power lines, with trees under tension, it’s not safe to have people who aren’t properly trained. We usually would welcome help and be more than happy to accept the help, but due to the technical nature of what we’re dealing with, it needs to be handled by staff that has experience with it,”
Monk also urged anyone planning to hike at Laurel Hill State Park in the coming days to be especially careful, warning that some trees could be loose and could fall if more wind
moves through the area.