Steuben County declared a state of emergency Wednesday night in nine towns as flash flooding from heavy rain washed out roads and swept over yards and lower levels of homes.
The states of emergency remained in place Thursday morning but some people who had been evacuated earlier were allowed to return home later in the morning.
At 10:30 p.m.Wednesday, Steuben County ordered the evacuation of the southside of the village of Addison adjoining Tuscarora Creek after the National Weather Service estimated that creek flooding would exceed historic levels, potentially topping the levy.
Thursday morning, Steuben County and Addison officials told evacuated residents on the village’s southside that they may return to their homes, but to follow precautions.
Katie Peterson, owner of Townline Estates trailer park in Addison, said the storm was a “total disaster.” Three of the eight mobile homes in the park and the equipment building were badly damaged by the flood.
Peterson said she and her husband, Don, don’t know how long the people that rent the trailers are going to be out of their homes.
“At this point I’m not sure where to send them,” Peterson said. “Their gas is turned off, by Corning Natural Gas, so they have to go somewhere. They can’t live in there. The ground near the mobile homes has flooded before but this is the worst we’ve ever had here.”
Emergency officials, worried about natural gas leaks, advised residents to call 911 immediately if they smell the odor of natural gas and not enter the building. If the natural gas service wasn't working, residents were advised to call Corning Natural Gas Customer Service at (607) 936-3755.
Multiple Steuben County towns affected
Steuben County Director of Public Safety Tim Marshall said 75 to 100 people were evacuated overnight from the towns of Jasper and Woodhull and from the Village of Addison.
“We have a number of homes that were flooded, and we have to determine what kind of damages we’ve got there before we can let people back in,” Marshall said. “We can’t let people into unsafe structures.”
The state of emergency prohibited travel in West Union, Woodhull, Troupsburg, Tuscarora, Greenwood, Canisteo, Hornellsville and Jasper, allowing emergency vehicles and public works equipment time to respond.
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"Evacuated residents from Addison may return, but all others must stay off the road to ensure that this work can be accomplished safely," Marshall posted in a mid-morning update on flooding conditions.
The Red Cross opened shelters at the Canisteo Fire Hall, 14 Main St., Canisteo, and the Corning-Painted Post High School, 201 Cantigny St., Corning, in response to the flooding, according to Michael Tedesco, a Red Cross spokesman.
Dawn McIntyre, shelter superiors for the American Red Cross at the Corning-Painted Post High School, said Thursday morning that more than 20 people who were forced to leave their homes due to the storm had already come to C-PP High School and more were expected throughout the day.
“Some drove here and some by bus,” McIntyre said. “We will remain open until everyone has a place to go until they can go back home.”
Roads closed, cell service affected
Flood damage and debris forced the closure of several roads,Marshall said. Highway and public works crews were inspecting damage and restoring safe passage. Residents were advised to stay off roadways.
“We have multiple roads in the southern part of the county that are affected including state Routes 248, 36, 417, and then the county and town roads,” Marshall said. “We’re getting assessment teams in today to assess damages both to the roadways and to the properties.”
Marshall confirmed social media reports of cell phone service losses.
“Cell service is out in the area. We believe it’s due to a fiber cut or power issues,” he said.
Repair crews were buoyed by a forecast calling for lighter rain and by observations that water levels had receded.
Marshall said, “The streams have gone down. The rain has ceased for now. We’ve got some light showers that will be coming through today, potentially a thunderstorm this afternoon, but we’re hoping that’s not going to cause us any issues at this point.
“As long as we don’t get thunderstorms, we should be OK.”
Up to 5 inches of rain reported in Southern Tier
At approximately 7:30 a.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service Office in Binghamton reported 24-hour rain totals of 5 inches in Hartsville, 3.2 inches in Cameron, 3 inches in Prattsburgh and 2.64 inches in Perkinsville.
“The heaviest rain definitely fell (Wednesday night), and it started to taper off after midnight or so, but there are still ongoing flooding issues down there even after the heavier rain tapered off,” said Bryan Greenblatt, a Binghamton-based National Weather Service meteorologist.
“Specifically with Steuben County, the Tuscarora Creek actually went over the previous record flood stage, so that was certainly significant. The previous record flood stage was 13.54 feet. It looks like it crested at 14.16 (Wednesday) evening around 10.”
Elsewhere in the Southern Tier, there were fewer reports of flood-related damage.
“In terms of any significant issues, it wasn’t as bad farther east,”Greenblatt said. “It looks like the corridor from Steuben County through the Finger Lakes was the worst of it.
“There’s still some lingering showers around, but they’re on the lighter side. In terms of the flooding, certainly at this point, the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred are now moving well northeast of the area.”
