GREENE – Emergency personnel in Greene were busy from Thursday afternoon well into the night, as a “CliffsNotes” version of the 500-year flood in late June unexpectedly played-out in late fall – with a few new plot twists of its own.
“I have never seen the water like this before,” said 1st Assistant Chief Scott Hubbard, remarking on last night’s flood waters that surrounded the Raymond Corporation. “This is unbelievable.”
Flash flooding due to three hours of heavy and steady rains forced a number of Village of Greene residents from their homes, brought down trees and power lines, and stranded several motorists in the surrounding areas. At one point, Greene Fire officials reported incidents of people who were, “In their cars and caught in the water, shouting for help.”
Firefighters, police, EMS crews and water rescue teams were spread out in all different directions on over 25 calls, going as far as Port Crane in Broome County. On county Route 9 in the Town of Greene, EMS and fire crews were stranded for four hours while rescuing trapped individuals from rushing waters. In the village, the fire department was using bucket-loaders to snag people from their flood weary houses.
Upon returning from the numerous calls, firefighters described the situations vividly. “It’s just so fast,” several said, recalling run-offs that were rushing through people’s homes. “It just came up in a flash.”
“It looked like the Colorado River going over some of those roads,” said firefighter Lou Pixley.
Pixley and several others said that last night was an all-too familiar and un-welcome scene, considering the damage caused last June.
“This looks like it did last time,” said 2nd Assistant Chief Dan Montgomery. “We don’t like that.”
“A lot of people just got their lives back together,” Pixley said.
Two of those people, Grant and Marion Sullivan of North Chenango Street, said they had just moved back into their flood damaged house two weeks ago before they were evacuated last night.
“They said it didn’t get the house,” a relieved Grant said while sitting with his wife and two of his children in the meeting room of the Greene Fire House. “We just got the house all done two weeks ago. I thought for sure we’d get it again.” The Sullivans said that in 41 years, their house has only been flooded three times; once in 1979, 2005, and again 2006, narrowly avoiding a recent fourth. Marion said being spared this time may be an early anniversary present, as she and Grant celebrate their 60th today. “Three times is enough,” she said.
When asked if many of the same homes from June’s flood were being damaged, Hubbard replied, “Yes, but for different reasons.”
Unlike the five months ago, the Chenango River remained relatively tame. Yesterday, it was the smaller existing and storm created tributaries, such as the Birdsall Creek and Page Brook, that forced neighborhoods to evacuate and outlying areas to be cut-off.
The Village of Greene was declared to be in a State of Emergency by roughly 6 p.m., officials said, just two hours after the quick-hitting storm dolled out over an estimated three inches of water.
At one point almost every state route was impassable, forcing some travelers who were headed North, South, and West to find shelter at the fire department complex, as many secondary county and town roads were also washed out. The Greene Fire Department prepared them dinner, and made sure they were comfortable until the could once again get on the road.
“That’s why we built it,” said Hubbard.