Flooding from storm Debby leads to high-water rescues in New York, Pennsylvania
BARRE, Vt. — First responders launched high-water and helicopter rescues of people trapped in cars and homes in rural New York and Pennsylvania as heavy rain from the remnants of Debby slammed the Northeast with intense floods.
The worst of the flash flooding so far in New York was in a largely rural area south of the Finger Lakes, not far from the Pennsylvania border.
In Steuben County, which borders Pennsylvania, officials ordered the evacuation of the towns of Jasper, Woodhull and part of Addison, and said people were trapped as floodwaters made multiple roads impassable.
In the hamlet of Woodhull, a rain-swollen creek ran so ferociously that the water overtopped a bridge. Area resident Stephanie Waters said parts of sheds, branches and uprooted trees were among the debris that slammed into the span.
“Hearing the trees hit the bridge was scary,” she said.
Fire Chief Timothy Martin said everybody was safe in Woodhull, but “every business in Woodhull is damaged.”
Hurricane Debby made landfall in north Florida, bringing the potential for record-setting rains, catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge.
John Anderson said he watched the floodwaters come up quickly, overwhelming some vehicles in Canisteo, in Steuben County, and nearby in Andover, in Allegany County. “It’s not a slow rise. It’s been very fierce,” said Anderson, who was providing dispatches to the Wellsville Sun. He said he watched people’s belongings get carried away by the raging water.
In Canisteo, Cliff and Deb Moss suffered heavy damage to their dairy farm, which has been there for more than five decades. A neighbor’s double-wide trailer floated down a field to a river, said their daughter, Stacey Urban.
Urban said the catastrophic damage to the community was still coming into focus and was hard to fathom.
“They have lost a lot,” said Urban. “Beyond heart breaking.”
Steuben County manager Jack Wheeler said the storm was hitting some of the same areas as Tropical Storm Fred three years earlier and that half a dozen swift water teams were rescuing people trapped in vehicles and homes.
Red Cross shelters were set up at two high schools for evacuees. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency.
Debby, Oscar, Tony: What’s in a storm’s name? How does a tropical storm or hurricane get its moniker? Will yours come up on the forecasters’ list?
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield said a National Guard helicopter with aquatic rescue capability was sent to Tioga County, in the region that runs along the New York state line.
Padfield said Tioga officials have asked for help with eight to 10 rescue locations, and multiple boat-based rescues were being conducted.
In Potter County, also on the border with New York, the storm took out bridges and damaged Route 49, said Commissioner Bob Rossman. “My understanding is the roadway is pretty much well gone,” Rossman said.
More than 150,000 customers were without power across New York and Pennsylvania, according to PowerOutage.us.
Debby was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone on Friday, the National Hurricane Center said. It made landfall early Monday on the Gulf Coast of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane. Then, Debby made a second landfall early Thursday in South Carolina as a tropical storm.
In Vermont, Gov. Phil Scott warned that the remnants of Debby could cause serious damage in the state, including already drenched parts of Vermont that were hit by flash flooding twice last month.
Stormwater swamped parts of downtown Annapolis, Md., including at the U.S. Naval Academy campus Friday. And flash flooding hit the South Carolina town of Moncks Corner, where one of Debby’s early bands unleashed a tornado on Tuesday.
Up to 3 feet of fast-moving water rushed into Moncks Corner, a city about 30 miles north of Charleston, the National Weather Service said. Across the surrounding Berkeley County, emergency crews made 33 high-water rescues.
In Georgia, there were eight dam breaches, with half occurring in Bulloch County, a rural region northwest of Savannah, Gov. Brian Kemp said. Some poultry facilities were flooded and some cattle were lost in flooded pastures, officials said.
At least eight people have died related to Debby, most in vehicle accidents or from fallen trees.
Associated Press writers Sharp and Whittle reported from Portland, Maine. Hill reported from Altamont, N.Y. Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pa. AP journalists Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, N.Y.; Lisa Rathke in Barre, Vt.; and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, S.C., contributed to this report.
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