Governor Cuomo issued a State of Emergency for portions of the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Central New York following heavy rainfall Tuesday Morning. Cuomo toured one of the hardest hit areas, Lodi in Seneca County, where flooding trapped dozens of people.
Many roads were either washed away, flooded over or otherwise impassible, at least for several hours.
“It’s amazing the devastation — it’s not just water, you have about a quarter of a mile of trees and debris, stumps," Cuomo said. "We need heavy machinery to move these trees and stumps, etc. so we can get to the people. The fire department went in earlier this morning and they are now trapped on the inside because the road became clogged once they entered.”
Several families had to be rescued after heavy rains caused flooding and left them stranded. The Cerrone family from Connecticut was vacationing on Seneca Lake when they were forced to evacuate Tuesday morning.
Families were stuck in cars, lost parts of their homes and some even had to raft through flood waters.
Firefighters say getting to them was dangerous because of all the floating debris.
One resident says the flooding was on the verge of hitting her house.
"Well it’s pretty devastating," said Lodi resident Sandra Wilcox. "I just lost a 4 foot, 100 foot wall, concrete. And the neighbor did too and we are losing lawn. It’s right up against my garage back there."
Law enforcement said a few people suffered very minor injuries during the rescue efforts.
The state deployed 50 members of the National Guard — half of them were sent to Ovid. Another 150 guard members are expected to be deployed across the state Wednesday.
Roads in Monroe County affected by the storm are back open. Monroe County declared a State of Emergency in response to the rain, but that declaration was terminated by Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo (R) at 10:24 p.m. Tuesday.
Perinton got the worst of it with more than six inches of rain in a five hour span, causing Powder Mills Park's fish hatchery to overflow.
Town leaders are still keeping an eye on Irondequoit Creek near Bushnell's Basin. County crews installed pumps and sandbags near threatened properties. State authorities are helping by releasing water from the Erie Canal at locks in Macedon and Pittsford, so the creek doesn't crest.
Authorities also temporarily closed down the Whitney Road construction project. Town leaders expect that project's timeline to be affected by the storm.
Perinton's flash flooding shut down Powder Mills Park and swamped some of its fish hatchery. It also overwhelmed the town's biggest construction project on Whitney Road and bloated nearby Thomas Creek. Leaders are not sure whether construction will stay on schedule.
In Wayne County, where houses are slightly higher up, the damage wasn't as severe and the storm wasn't as bad.
“All of a sudden we saw the rain pounding on the picture window in the back. All of a sudden it started getting louder and louder. The cats started screaming, they went around the room like they knew the end of the world was coming," said John Koeberle, whose property along Hogback Hill Road in Palmyra was littered with trees. "And the next thing you know, we look out, I couldn't believe it."