TOWN OF LEYDEN, New York (WWNY) – Portions of southern Lewis County resemble a disaster zone after heavy rain left flooding and crumbled roads and bridges in its wake.
“We try to close the roads as fast as we can, but roads are flooding faster than we can close them,” said Lewis County Highway Superintendent Tim Hunt.
Moose Creek and Sugar River took the most of the damage. Some people had to be evacuated from their homes.
A bridge over Moose Creek on State Route 12D was gobbled away by the fast-rising waters, tearing down the shoulder leaving a gaping hole more than six feet deep.
If you think it looks bad now, state Department of Transportation workers say it’s nothing compared to what they saw when they arrived on scene. They say there was more than two feet of water over the road, and they could hardly see the 30-inch tall guardrails.
The extreme amount of water flowing through Moose Creek also created a whirlpool of sorts in the culverts, sucking in everything from road debris to large trees.
“We’ve had a lot of culverts plugged, a lot of water coming over the roads. People have been evacuated this morning. I know there’s at least a couple houses with severe damage. One house has the basement wall caving in,” said Hunt.
Sugar River was another sight to behold. One resident can’t believe how quickly the tides have turned.
“I think it was a couple days ago, a girlfriend and I went swimming at the Sugar River here, and it was up to my knees. Now I’m afraid to step in it, it’s so high,” said Darlene Stratton, Port Leyden resident. “This does not happen every day. I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never seen it like this.”
State DOT representatives say these extreme weather episodes are happening all over.
“That brings flooding…We just ask that everyone be careful when you’re out there, this can happen at a moment’s notice,” said Sean Hennessey, DOT.
DOT crews are working to repair the damage left behind by the flooding. In the meantime, officials ask the public to be patient and use detours.
The National Weather Service has extended the flood warning for southern Lewis County to 10:30 p.m. Thursday. A separate flood warning for the Black River at Boonville is in effect until 2 a.m. Friday.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office issued a “no unnecessary travel” advisory for all of the southern part of the county until further notice.
A number of roads in the area are either flooded or damaged.
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