Press Release

Shawnee’s Flood Condition Report Optimistic

Shawnee on Delaware, Pennsylvania – Once again, the torrential rains that affected the entire Northeast portion of the country brought rushing waters over the banks of the Delaware River. On Wednesday, June 28th, the employees and staff of the Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort could do nothing but watch as the rising waters slowly blanketed the island golf course and crept its way into the hotel.

At its peak, the Delaware River reached levels of 30.73 feet at Tocks Island, sending local residents for miles around heading for higher ground. In the case of the Shawnee Inn, advanced warning of the river’s forecasted activity proved to be a lifesaver, literally. On Tuesday afternoon, local resident and Emergency Services Director Harry Robidoux gave the initial warning of the Delaware’s threat. This communication lead to Shawnee’s executive decision to inform all guests of the situation and ultimately evacuate them to safer grounds, well before the river reached dangerous levels. The staff of the Shawnee Inn assisted in relocating the guests that wished to continue their stay in the area.

After assuring the safety of its guests, employees of the Shawnee Inn turned their focus to removing all valuables from the ground level of the Inn. The items that had to be moved included desks, personal computers, telephones, tables, chairs, equipment and dry goods. The entire golf shop was also relocated, down to the very last mahogany cabinet. The sight of the completely empty ground floor reassured the hard-working staff and employees that a lesson had been learned from the previous flood experiences. Regardless of the amount of water that would enter the Inn, losses would be held to a bare minimum of carpet and wallpaper. Charlie Kirkwood, Resort Owner, further explains, “The lower level of the Inn has been reconstructed with a special type of fiberglass drywall called ‘Dens Glass’. This material is made specifically for structures located in vulnerable flood plains and is designed to dry quickly and without damage after exposure to the waters of the flood.”

Aside from the lower level, other areas of the resort affected by the flood were the 27-hole championship golf course and the newly opened Tillinghast Approach Course. Immediately upon the water’s subsiding, the grounds crew of the Inn began working diligently to clear the greens of any silt left behind on these delicate carpet-like structures. Also, as soon as the river returns to safer levels, the crew will begin the reassembling of the seasonal manmade bridge that has been unique to the resort since around 1910. Typically put up at the beginning of every golf season and taken down in mid November, the bridge was washed down stream on Tuesday morning.