FORT COVINGTON, N.Y. — More than 20 homes were evacuated and more than 30 residents were forced to flee after an ice jam on the Salmon River broke around midnight Saturday in the town of Fort Covington.

"Within about eight minutes, all these places flooded," said Franklin County Emergency Services Director Ricky Provost.

"Get dressed and get out. Stand back and watch it. It's all you can do," said resident Loren Wylie.

Residents say the flooding has gone down, but there was still a considerable amount of water.

"It was just a river coming across there. Nothing but water and ice," said Wylie.

Officials say the flooding extends far beyond the Salmon River.

"That goes all the way around the corner and it flows all the way to the Saint Lawrence River," said Provost. 

They say the dropping temperatures will impact the standing water.

"It will be frozen a lot more than it is right now," said Provost. 

As for what's next, they have to wait for nature to take its course.

"Really, we have to wait to see how much freezes up and when the water goes down and we're not expecting it any time soon," said Provost.