Storm-damaged restaurants have precise cleanup course

As residents along the area’s rivers mop up the damage from Hurricane Irene, their neighborhood restaurants are facing the same challenges–with some added concerns.

As soon as the hurricane’s rains subsided, Yardley Inn manager Michelle Mohollen mobilized her staff to get the restaurant back in business.

“We’re vacuuming, we’re cleaning, we’re putting the restaurant back together,” she said.

Area health departments have specific procedures for restaurants to follow after a big storm.

“We’re asking them if they’ve had any kind of contact with flood waters inside the facility to clean it up and sanitize it,” said William Roth, Bucks County’s acting environmental health director.

“If any equipment became affected—floors, of course; basements, of course–and if they’re storing anything in the basement it may have to be discarded if it’s come in contact with the flood waters,” he said

The Yardley Inn is situated right on the Delaware River. Owners were expecting up to two feet of water in the main dining room, but the actual flooding was less severe.

Elsewhere in Bucks County, power outages raised the most urgent concern, Roth said.

“Well, if the food starts to become out of temperature, they’re going to have to lose it. They’re going to have to monitor the food by taking the temperatures and making sure they’re in the safe zone,” he said.