Flood cleanup underway in Steuben County communities. DPW assesses storm damage, response
Portions of Woodhull, Cameron, Jasper and Canisteo were badly damaged by the effects of Tropical Storm Debby, which hit the Southern Tier with heavy rain Friday, flooding rivers and streams and damaging homes, roads and other infrastructure.
Steuben County Commissioner of Public Works Eric Rose said that DPW crews began preparing for the storm in several concerning trouble areas Thursday, as the remnants of Debby began to approach New York state. Debby hit Steuben County and surrounding areas Friday morning and into the afternoon, dropping several inches of rain on the area.
“We started mobilizing stuff in the concerned trouble areas before the storm hit, and Woodhull was definitely one of them,” said Rose as he watched cleanup crews at work in Woodhull Saturday morning. “We had similar damage in some areas as the 2021 storm, not as bad in some, but worse in others.”
Volunteers and crews work on the main bridge of Woodhull that was damaged Friday by heavy rain from Tropical Storm Debby.
Rose said the damage in Steuben County was a little more widespread than a similar 2021 storm that resulted in a Major Disaster Declaration for eight counties, including Steuben, Allegany and Tioga. That storm also hit southern Steuben County hard.
Other notable floods hit in 2017 and 2014, Rose said.
“There was damage in Jasper, Woodhull, Cameron and Canisteo,” Rose said. “It was a little different than in 2017 when it was kind of centralized. This storm spread out a little bit, which spread the DPW’s assets out a little bit, but overall, the crews did great.”
Flood debris crowds the side of county Route 14 in Canisteo, which suffered extensive damage during Friday’s flood.
Rose said the supporting agencies, including volunteers, Steuben County Emergency Services, State Police, the Sheriff’s Office and local police, fire and other emergency services have worked hard to clean up damaged areas.
“They’re a well-oiled machine with this stuff, unfortunately,” Rose said. “In Woodhull and other areas, we’ve dealt with this type of damage in 2014, 2017 and 2021. These areas are continually affected by this kind of stuff, unfortunately.”
The Red Cross opened a shelter for victims of the flood at the Corning-Painted Post High School. The shelter will be open until Monday.
Steuben County encourages residents with damages in need of assistance to reach out to the 211 Helpline by dialing 2-1-1 and providing their address, contact information and type of damages. Individuals will be connected with the appropriate community service organization that can assess their needs.
Steuben County declared a state of emergency Friday and ordered the evacuation of several towns. Evacuation orders were lifted for Canisteo, Addison and Campbell by Friday night. They were lifted in Jasper and Woodhull Saturday evening.
More: Bath Swiftwater Rescue saves person from flooded home, three stranded on submerged truck
Latest update on road closures in Steuben County
The following roads in Steuben County remain closed early to traffic as of 5 p.m. Saturday:
County Route 14 – From Cochrane Road to Turnpike Road (Town of Bath) and from County Route 69 to County Route 119 (Towns of Howard, Canisteo)
County Route 119 – From County Route 10 to County Route 27 (Towns of Cameron, Canisteo) and from County Route 128 to State Route 36 (Town of Canisteo)
County Route 31 – From State Route 36 (northern intersection) to County Route 63 (Towns of Canisteo, Jasper)
County Route 71 – All (Town of Jasper)
County Route 28 – From State Route 248 to County Route 64 (Towns of Canisteo, Hartsville)
County Route 84 – From Hillard Road to Tombs Road (Town of Troupsburg)
County Route 129 – County Route 82 to Washington Street (Town of Woodhull)
Crews look at a badly damaged road Saturday morning in downtown Woodhull.
County Route 21 – From County Route 102 to Hubbard Road (Towns of Rathbone, Woodhull)
County Route 126 – From State Route 417 to Reiman Road (Town of Greenwood)
State Route 248 – From Slate Creek Rd to Fall Creek Rd (Town of Canisteo)
State Route 36 – From Canisteo (Willow Bend) South to Gravel Run (Town of Canisteo)
More: How high did the water get during Debby flooding? See numbers across Southern Tier.
A travel advisory remains in place for the towns of Canisteo, Jasper, Greenwood, Woodhull, and Cameron, and residents must avoid unnecessary travel in these towns, said Tim Marshall, Steuben County Director of Public Safety.
Emergency responders, public works, and cleanup crews are actively working in these areas.
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Steuben County begins cleanup of Debby flood damage
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