Millvale residents reflect on community's "resilience" after Hurricane Ivan

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- On Sept. 17, 2004, the remnants of Hurricane Ivan pounded Western Pennsylvania, leaving many places underwater, including large sections of Carnegie, Etna and Millvale.

According to Jim Burn, the former mayor of Millvale, over 250 businesses and 400 residential properties were compromised, ranging from wet basements to being gutted out.

One of the 250 businesses impacted in Millvale was Esther's Hobby Shop. Bob and Nancy Mehler currently run the shop, which began under Bob's grandmother, Esther.

Bob Mehler says his grandmother bought the building in 1954 and the shop has been at the Millvale location since then. Esther's Hobby Shop specializes in N-scale trains and is the largest N-scale dealer in the Tri-State area, according to Bob Mehler.

Describing Hurricane Ivan's impacts on the store

The Mehlers vividly remember the day the remnants of Ivan hit in 2004. Nancy Mehler described all the action upon learning Esther's Hobby Shop was underwater.

"My father-in-law, his father worked the shop alone and he called us and said, 'There's flooding going on. I need some help over here.' When we arrived, parking meters were underwater. There (were) 4 feet inside the store and the basement was fully flooded. We walked into this poor man trying to hold onto the cash register and not let it float away because things were floating our way."

One of the main icons of the shop, a model train display washed out due to the force of the water. Bob Mehler describes the train as "an HO N-Scale Train Display, 6 feet long and about 3.5 feet high and had trains running on it all the time."

The resilience of Millvale after Ivan

Despite being in the crosshairs of a disaster, Esther's Hobby Shop and the town of Millvale did not give up.

"Because of all the help of the train club and the neighborhood, we all pulled together and got it open again," said Bob Mehler.

"People are kind. They came in here, just volunteers, helped us sweep up the muck and the mud, and just helped us reorganize. Anything they could do to help," said Nancy Mehler.

"Resilience is the best way to put it," Burn said.

"You're either going to succumb to the crisis or you're going to punch the crisis and push back on it. And Millvale and Sharpsburg and Etna and Carnegie, and all the towns that were hit by this did exactly that because you don't have any option but to fight back and rebuild and be strong."