The borough of Tamaqua is still in the process of cleaning up from the severe weather event that passed through the borough earlier this month. Borough Manager Kevin Steigerwalt said that much of the borough workforce’s time in the last week has been spent cleaning up downed trees and other debris left in the wake of the Sept. 13 storm that brought down many trees and left most of the borough without power for the better part of a day.

South Ward Fire Chief Mark Bower added that the fire department had provided shelter for attendees of the football game that night and that the station became the base of operations for emergency services in the borough for the next 24 hours. He said that the Tamaqua Fire Department responded to 17 emergency calls that night and seven more the following day.

Bower said that borough workers and emergency responders worked together to respond to incidents throughout the borough.

“We went one way, they went the other, and we got as much done as we could,” he said, referring to the nonstop requests for assistance.

Council President David Mace thanked the emergency responders and borough workers for what he called a “quick and coordinated” response. It was noted that there was some damage to borough property and claims will be submitted to the borough’s insurance company.

In other first responder news, council hired Christopher Cordes as the borough’s latest full-time police officer. Cordes came to the department highly recommended by both the White Haven and Coaldale police departments.

After the unanimous approval to hire Cordes, he was sworn in by Mayor Nathan Gerace. Cordes said he’s “really excited” to start working for the borough full time.

Council also hired Steve Biscardi as a part-time police officer and accepted the resignation of officer Michael Weaver. Council recommended that the Civil Service Commission hold another round of testing, as there is now one vacancy in the department due to the resignation of Weaver, and another one on the horizon, due to a pending retirement.