Gov. Kathy Hochul was in the North Country on Tuesday. She made the trip to Canton to get briefed on the latest with flood recovery efforts — and to say thank you to first responders who have been answering more than a call an hour. She says the state will be involved — until everything is back to normal.

What You Need To Know

  • St. Lawrence County was hit hard by heavy rain last week, causing flooding that damaged homes, businesses and roads

  • Governor Kathy Hochul was in Canton Tuesday to thank responders and learn more about the damages

  • Hochul says the state has a new program that can help home and businesses owners who do not have flood insurance, get funding for home repairs

“I’m so proud of the individuals standing behind me and the countless who are still out on the streets working so hard to restore this community,” Hochul said.

Storms like the one last week are happening far too often, Hochul said.

“It's been a really tough summer for New Yorkers, particularly here in the North Country,” she added.

It was last week's storm that saw St. Lawrence County get absolutely hammered by rain. More than 100 roads closed and numerous homes had flooded basements.

“It was one of the worst things that we've seen in quite a while,” Canton Fire Chief Shawn McGregor said.

MacGregor said his department answered 86 calls from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon, with more Monday.

“It was just, it was everywhere. It hit pretty hard all the way up through the Route 11 corridor,” McGregor said.

In Canton, water under the main overpass to get into town reached 13 feet.

“It just it was unbelievable. Just unbelievable,” McGregor said of the rain.

He said most of the calls to his department were to help people with flooded basements.

“It’s their home. It's their livelihood. You know, people work hard for what they have,” McGregor added.

One call in particular was to help two people who were trapped by water in a camp.

“There were some campsites down there and they did not realize that the water was going to get that high,” McGregor said.

That rescue was aided by the state's swift water team, which Hochul says is just one department that will be here as long as needed.

“The state here is not going anywhere until we can get this community back to normal and prepare for, unfortunately, what is now becoming the new normal,” she said.

The governor also announced a new state program, some $50,000 maximum available to homes and business owners who did suffer damage, but did not have flood insurance.

“The mold is starting to grow in your home and it gets more expensive and more toxic to live in a place where the mold is growing. So we want to get this money out,” Hochul said.

Now, as for that funding for St Lawrence County residents, the Office of Financial Services will be at SUNY Potsdam on Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m. to answer any questions that businesses or homeowners may have.

First repsonders said they appreciate the personal visit from the governor, as it shows their hard work Is being noticed in their community and beyond.