More than 30,000 homes and businesses in Pennsylvania were damaged in the flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ivan, with Allegheny County accounting for about a third of the toll, an Associated Press survey of the state's hardest-hit counties has found.

Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Scott Ditrichia of DeWitt Service Car Crushers cleans debris from his portable automobile crusher before beginning another round of crushing at Ed Wagner Auto Salvage/Auto Parts along Big Sewickley Creek Road in Bell Acres yesterday. His company was crushing and removing 130 parts automobiles ruined by the Sept. 17 flood, a job expected to take two days. Click photo for larger image.

The damage estimate covers 40 of the 46 counties that qualified for federal disaster aid. Dauphin, Jefferson, Northampton, Northumberland and Susquehanna counties did not respond to the survey, conducted Monday and yesterday. Cumberland County said it did not have any definitive numbers.

With just 16 counties putting a dollar figure on their losses, and Allegheny County yet to report, the estimated cost of the damage has already climbed to above $120 million, according to estimates provided the AP by county emergency management officials.

On the high end of those counties providing flooding-related cost estimates was Lycoming County, which is reporting about $57 million in damage, said Les Gruver, the county's emergency management coordinator. The county estimated 1,245 homes and businesses were damaged.

Allegheny County estimates that nearly 11,000 homes, businesses and public buildings were damaged, but the county has yet to come up with a cost, said Ashley Henry, a spokeswoman for the county's chief executive, Dan Onorato.

The estimates provided by the counties included damage to businesses and homes, including mobile, single- and multi-family. The figures included any kind of damage, from destroyed foundations to flooded basements.

More than 880 public buildings, bridges, roadways and other structures were damaged in the flooding, according to reports from 27 of the counties. The others surveyed said they had not yet established firm figures for damage to public property.

Most emergency management coordinators, directors and public information officers said it could be months before they have final figures on what the flooding and other severe weather brought on by Ivan will cost their counties.

Businesses burglarized

Burglars broke into a hair salon and a sports memorabilia store early yesterday on Carnegie's flood-ravaged Main Street.

Almost $8,000 worth of hair equipment and products was taken from Elaine Zajicek's Hair Salon, which had just reopened last week after suffering extensive damage from the flooding on Sept. 17.

A few storefronts down, at 309 E. Main St., robbers pried the front door open at Triple Play Sports Cards but were scared away by an alarm, said Vic Mannella, the store's owner.

Elaine Zajicek, 50, said she lost a manicure table and more than a dozen styling, shampoo and drying chairs.

"You have to be pretty low to do something like that," she said. "I'm too tired for all this."

Neither the salon nor the sports store suffered as much flood damage as the buildings on the western side of Main Street, where some businesses were devastated by floodwaters and will be closed for months.

Mannella was told by Carnegie police that his alarm had gone off, but he said nothing was missing from the store.

"I managed to get by a crook and a flood in two weeks," he said.

But Zajicek had more than a foot of water in her salon, which has been at 319 E. Main St. for six years. She and family members, friends and employees spent three days cleaning out mud and damaged equipment. The salon opened again last Wednesday.

"Customers were trickling in," she said. "Each day, we were getting more."

Yesterday morning, one of her employees opened the salon and found most of the equipment missing. The front door had been forced open.

Police are investigating the robberies and have not determined if they are connected, Carnegie police Sgt. Caulene Bogdon said.

Zajicek hopes the worst is now behind her. Although she did not have flood insurance, the theft is covered by her insurance plan, she said, and some nearby salons have offered to donate chairs.

"We'll survive," she said. "If these ladies have to sit on milk crates, we'll get their hair done."

Fund-raising events

A benefit dance is planned for 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Harmony Museum, 218 W. Mercer St. in Harmony. The Buy'n'Fly convenience store at Route 68 at Interstate 79 is organizing the event. The store was not damaged in the floods but was close to the hardest-hit areas in southwest Butler County. The cost is $10, $15 for couples, with children under 10 admitted free. There will be door prizes, raffles, and a Chinese auction. For more information, call 724-453-0660.

Area groups are organizing fund-raisers to benefit North Hills Community Outreach's flood relief efforts. For example, the Pizza Hut on 4873 Route 8, Hampton, will donate 20 percent of proceeds from dine-in or carry-out purchases made between 4 and 8 p.m. Monday. The effort is sponsored by Cub Scout Pack Nos. 13, 161 and 195 from Hampton School District. Diners should mention that they would like to help flood victims when they place an order; no special coupon is needed. Also, Nativity Lutheran Church, 4517 Mount Royal Blvd., Shaler, will sponsor a garage sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday with 50 percent of the proceeds benefitting local flood victims.

For other fund-raisers or information on available help, donations needed and volunteer opportunities, visit www.nhco.org/flood.htm.