Waters rise to near flood level during storm
CHENANGO COUNTY – Prolonged rainfall throughout the day and evening on Thursday contributed to some minor flooding and what could have been a major disaster in parts of Chenango County, according to City of Norwich Emergency Management Officer A. Wesley Jones.
Serious problems developed at several sites along the Canasawacta Creek between the city and the Town of Pharsalia, and shortly after 11 p.m. residents on the west side of the city were issued a reverse 911 Alert due to the rising waters.
Jones reported that the Canasawacta, in just three-and-a-half hours, rose an astonishing 12.78 feet. In addition, the creek rose from 1.2 feet Thursday morning to 18.52 feet, less than a foot-and-a-half below the flood stage.
“I’ve never seen it do anything like that before,” said Jones. “We were trying to see if some type of dam broke, and we checked some suspect areas and didn’t find anything.”
Jones, along with Chief of Police Joe Angelino, Fire Chief Tracy Chawgo and Mayor Maiurano, activated the Emergency Operation Center as soon as the creek reached 18 feet, the “action stage,” he added.
In coordination with the county, a general warning was issued to households along the creek between Norwich and Pharsalia and one residence was evacuated when the foundation became compromised by floodwaters.
In addition, flooding along State Highway 23 closed a small section of one lane between Country Club Road and County Route 16.
“Luckily, the worst did not happen,” Jones said. “I’m glad that we did make the notification so people at least had some time to make preparations in the event it did flood.”
The stream gauges installed by the city several years ago “worked exactly as they were designed,” said Jones, who added they “gave us a heads up to let us know what was going on and we would have fallen behind without that.”
The gauges send out an e-mail alarm to several city officials any time the creek rises more than a foot-and-a-half in any one-hour time period, he added.
Jones reported the Chenango River will continue to rise this morning and should crest in the early afternoon and begin to recede.
“At this point everything is under control,” said Jones, who wished to thank chief Angelino, chief Chawgo and the mayor. “The rain ended just in time and I think we averted any major problems.”
Serious problems developed at several sites along the Canasawacta Creek between the city and the Town of Pharsalia, and shortly after 11 p.m. residents on the west side of the city were issued a reverse 911 Alert due to the rising waters.
Jones reported that the Canasawacta, in just three-and-a-half hours, rose an astonishing 12.78 feet. In addition, the creek rose from 1.2 feet Thursday morning to 18.52 feet, less than a foot-and-a-half below the flood stage.
“I’ve never seen it do anything like that before,” said Jones. “We were trying to see if some type of dam broke, and we checked some suspect areas and didn’t find anything.”
Jones, along with Chief of Police Joe Angelino, Fire Chief Tracy Chawgo and Mayor Maiurano, activated the Emergency Operation Center as soon as the creek reached 18 feet, the “action stage,” he added.
In coordination with the county, a general warning was issued to households along the creek between Norwich and Pharsalia and one residence was evacuated when the foundation became compromised by floodwaters.
In addition, flooding along State Highway 23 closed a small section of one lane between Country Club Road and County Route 16.
“Luckily, the worst did not happen,” Jones said. “I’m glad that we did make the notification so people at least had some time to make preparations in the event it did flood.”
The stream gauges installed by the city several years ago “worked exactly as they were designed,” said Jones, who added they “gave us a heads up to let us know what was going on and we would have fallen behind without that.”
The gauges send out an e-mail alarm to several city officials any time the creek rises more than a foot-and-a-half in any one-hour time period, he added.
Jones reported the Chenango River will continue to rise this morning and should crest in the early afternoon and begin to recede.
“At this point everything is under control,” said Jones, who wished to thank chief Angelino, chief Chawgo and the mayor. “The rain ended just in time and I think we averted any major problems.”
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