LODI, N.Y. (AP) - The Latest on severe flash flooding in the Finger Lakes region Tuesday (all times local):
4:08 p.m.
A New York town official says most of the dozens of people reported trapped in their Finger Lakes homes when flash floods hit the area are now able to move about their damaged properties.
Rick Jacot (JAY’-kaht), highway superintendent for the Seneca County town of Lodi (LOH’-deye) says Tuesday afternoon that local waterfront residents along Seneca Lake are safe and starting to clean up damage caused by the flooding.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo had said earlier Tuesday that about 50 people were trapped in their homes because of high water and trees and other debris dislodged by the flooding. The Democrat toured the storm damage a few hours after torrential pre-dawn rains caused creeks to overflow their banks.
Officials say some lakeside residents had to be evacuated by boat.
There are no reports of fatalities or injuries.
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2:20 p.m.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has declared a state of emergency in more than a dozen upstate counties hit by flash flooding caused by torrential rains across the region.
The Democrat issued the declaration Tuesday afternoon after touring some of the worst-hit areas in the Finger Lakes, including the Seneca County town of Lodi (LOH’-deye). Video provided by the governor’s office shows local roads covered in water and blocked by massive logjams of uprooted trees and brush.
Cuomo says storms are continuing to move across the upstate region and there’s the potential for more flash flooding.
There are no reports of fatalities or injuries.
The emergency declaration includes much of the Finger Lakes region and New York’s Southern Tier along the Pennsylvania border.
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12 p.m.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says about 50 people are trapped in their homes after heavy downpours in the Finger Lakes region caused flash floods that inundated roads and swept tons of uprooted trees and other debris into a lake.
The Democrat arrived Tuesday morning at the scene of some of the worst damage, in the Seneca County town of Lodi (LOH’-deye). He says emergency crews are conducting rescue operations to reach trapped residents.
Cuomo says more rain is expected and people are being advised to move to higher ground.
There are no reports of fatalities or injuries.
Pre-dawn downpours dumped up to 5 inches of rain on parts of southern Seneca County between Seneca and Cayuga lakes. County officials have declared a state of emergency for Lodi and three other towns.
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11:35 a.m.
The owner of a lakeside campground in the Finger Lakes region says a woman has been rescued after her camper was swept away by flash flooding caused by pre-dawn downpours.
Carolynn Shangraw, owner of the Sunset on Seneca campground in the town of Lodi (LOH’-deye), tells The Associated Press the woman’s camper was swept downhill into Seneca Lake during heavy rains early Tuesday morning.
Shangraw says the camper flipped over in the lake, trapping the woman inside, but she was rescued by a boater. A Seneca County emergency management official confirmed her account but couldn’t provide additional details.
A state of emergency has been declared in Lodi and three other towns in the southern end of the county between Seneca and Cayuga lakes.
No fatalities or injuries have been reported.
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9:05 a.m.
Authorities say flash flooding caused by heavy rains has inundated roads and damaged homes in sections of the Finger Lakes region.
The Seneca County Sheriff’s Office has issued a no unnecessary travel alert Tuesday morning after roads flooded in four towns in the southern end of the county between Seneca and Cayuga lakes.
The National Weather Service says up to 5 inches of rain has fallen in that area, prompting a flash flood emergency alert that advises residents to seek higher ground.
The weather service says emergency crews are on the scene working to evacuate residents.
There are no reports of injuries.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office says he’s headed to Seneca County to survey the storm damage. The Democrat’s office says he’ll hold a news conference around 10 a.m. at a campground in the town of Lodi (LOH’-deye).
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