CHENANGO COUNTY – Flash flooding following heavy rains Thursday closed roads throughout the county, prompted voluntary evacuations and necessitated several water rescues in the northern part of the county. As of deadline, water rescues were still ongoing and a number of flood warnings were still in effect, specifically in areas adjacent to and nearby the Chenango River.
A state of emergency, however, was only issued for the Village of Sherburne and – as of 10 a.m. – the Chenango River was at 9.8 feet in that area.
According to the National Weather Advisory Service, the Chenango River in the Norwich area is expected to crest at 9.5 feet by 4 p.m. and was at a reported depth of 8.36 feet as of deadline – just below its minor flood stage. Minor flooding has also been forecast for the Village of Greene later this evening.
The northeastern portion of the county was hit the hardest with an estimated three to five inches of rainfall resulting in flooding at the south end of the Village of Sherburne, and by 7 a.m. today nearly a dozen people had voluntary evacuated their homes. During the height of the rainfall last night, portions of Main Street and Chapel Street were under two to three feet of running water, according to county officials.
At approximately 5:45 a.m., Sherburne emergency workers performed a rescue in the area of Granville Hill Road and Route 12, when the home became completely surrounded by water. Flooding from the Chenango River later forced North Main Street in Sherburne to be closed. Shortly before 8 a.m., the Sherburne Fire Department was called to 50 North Main Street and – after evaluating the situation – it was determined that the occupants of those homes would be safe where they were.
While the majority of the population heeded road closures, others did not. By 7:30 a.m. emergency workers had performed two water rescues after drivers had circumvented the road closed signs and drove their cars into flooded roadways causing the vehicles to take on water.
“People absolutely need to observe barricades and if the roads are closed, there's a reason for it, it's not for show,” said Chenango County Chief Dispatcher A. Jones. “If you can't see the road, don't drive across it.”
Chenango County Emergency Management Director Matt Beckwith agreed, noting that a vehicle which drove into the water on Knapp Road could easily have been washed away.
A number of town roads in Sherburne, Columbus and New berlin have been closed due to flooding and will have to be evaluated for damage, including a section of Route 8 between its intersection with State Highway 80 and its junction with county Road 25, near the Chobani plant. As of 8:30 a.m., sections of the New Berlin Five-Corners were reportedly under five to six inches of water. Earlier this morning, a vehicle traveling along Route 8, north of the Village of New Berlin, began to wash away and had to be towed to safety.
Several roads in the City of Norwich were also closed last night due to rising water levels, including portions of South Broad Street and Prentice Street.
As of deadline, flooding throughout the county had stabilized and authorities expected conditions to improve throughout the day, although additional rainfall is expected over the weekend.
“The guys from Sherburne spent most of the night up and did a hell of a job,” said Beckwith. “They risked their lives to save people. And it wasn't just Sherburne. New Berlin was out there too, everyone was out. They are there to lend a helping hand and it takes a special guy to do that, a lot of them turned around and went to work today without any sleep.”