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Towns Scramble To Fill Huge Budget Holes Left By Landslides

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Throughout the region -- public works and road crews are playing whack a mole -- no sooner do they clear a street of a landslide than they are called to another.

So many infact that the County Executive Rich Fitzgerald has declared a disaster emergency.

"This would be the best way to give municipalities the flexibility to more quickly through the bidding process, including us at the county level. Also, this hopefully will help us get some financial help from both the state and federal governments," Fitzgerald said.

Many municipalities within Allegheny County are stretched financially or have completely exhausted their budgets related to storm, rain and flooding damages, as well as landslide response.

Chief among them is the city of Pittsburgh -- which has had several major and costly landslides -- including the virtual collapse of the hillside above Greenleaf Street on Mt. Washington.

The city budgeted $1 million dollar for landslide remediation but already has immediate cost-needs of $12 million dollars to stabilize hillsides and clean and repair roads of slides that have already happened.

And they're anticipating even more which chief of staff Dan Gilman says would blow a gaping hole in the budget.

"If you look at all the slide were concerned about or watching to be proactive you're looking at a $40 to $50 million range in need," Gilman said.

So like the county -- the city is looking to the state and federal government for help -- but there are no guarantees and so it must also plan to go it alone.

"If we don't get outside assistance, you either dig into your savings or you don't do other projects. We're not the Feds, we don't get to print money."

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