Debris from a building could be seen along Route 36 in Canisteo, New York, as remnants of Tropical Storm Debbie swept through the area on Friday.
Craig Rattle/AP
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Craig Rattle/AP
Debbie finally left the U.S. on Saturday after the storm, which initially arrived in Florida as a hurricane and moved along the East Coast, spawned tornadoes and flooding that destroyed homes and claimed lives for much of the week. .
Debbie’s final day over the United States before blowing into Canada brought rain to south-central New York and north-central Pennsylvania, leading to evacuations and helicopter rescues. The post-tropical cyclone continued to bring rain to New England and southern Quebec, Canada, Friday night, with conditions expected to improve Saturday morning as the system continues to move northeast.
The worst flash flooding in New York on Friday occurred in villages and hamlets in the largely rural area south of the Finger Lakes.
In Steuben County, which borders Pennsylvania, officials ordered evacuations in parts of the towns of Jasper, Woodhull and Addison, saying people were stranded because of flooding that left many roads impassable. By early evening, some of those orders were lifted as the threat of severe flooding passed.
In the hamlet of Woodhull, a rain-swollen creek flooded a bridge. Area resident Stephanie Waters said parts of sheds, branches and uprooted trees were among the debris that hit the span.
“It was scary to hear the trees hitting the bridge,” she said.
Fire Chief Timothy Martin said everyone in the town was safe, but “every business in Woodhull was damaged.”
John Anderson said he saw floodwaters rising rapidly, swamping some vehicles in Canisteo, Steuben County, and Andover, Allegheny County. “It’s very intense,” said Anderson, who was providing dispatches to the Wellsville Sun. He said he saw people’s belongings being swept away by the strong currents.
In Canisteo, farmers Deb and Cliff Moss suffered extensive damage to their dairy farm, which had been in existence for more than 50 years. The neighbor’s double-wide trailer drifted down the field and into the river during the flood, said the neighbor’s daughter, Stacey Urban.
Urban said the catastrophic damage to the community is immeasurable.
“They’ve lost a lot. It’s more than just heartbreaking,” Urban said.
Ann Farkas, who also lives in Canisteo, said this is the first time her home, one of the oldest in the county, has flooded since she moved there in 1976.
“The water is coming down, so what’s left is very thick – like wet concrete – dirt,” Farkas said.
“Like many people, I don’t have flood insurance, so I doubted my homeowner would cover the costs,” she said.
The storm hit some of the same areas as Tropical Storm Fred three years ago, and six rapids rescue teams have rescued people trapped in vehicles and homes, Steuben County Manager Jack Wheeler said.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro declared states of emergency.
Randy Padfield, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, said a National Guard helicopter with water rescue capabilities was dispatched to Tioga County, which borders New York, because of severe flooding in the area. Padfield said Tioga officials called eight to 10 rescue sites for help and also conducted boat rescues.
In Porter County, which also borders New York, the storm destroyed bridges and caused significant damage to Route 49, Commissioner Bob Rossman said.
“My understanding is that the road has almost disappeared,” Rothman said. “It would be a very expensive replacement. It’s one of the main roads in the county.
One firefighter suffered water injuries, but Rothman did not know the extent of the injuries, he said.
More than 90,000 customers were without power Friday night in New York and Pennsylvania, down from 150,000 customers earlier in the day, according to PowerOutage.us. In Ohio, nearly 144,000 customers were still waiting for power to be restored Friday night after Debbie-related storms, including a tornado, ripped through the northeastern part of the state on Wednesday.
The National Hurricane Center said Debbie was downgraded to a tropical depression late Thursday afternoon and a post-tropical cyclone on Friday. It made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday, then emerged over the Atlantic before making a second landfall in South Carolina as a tropical storm early Thursday.
At least nine deaths have been linked to Debbie, most from car crashes or falling trees.
In Vermont, where more than 44,000 customers were without power Friday night, Gov. Phil Scott warned that the remnants of Debbie could wreak havoc, including in already-flooded areas hit by flash floods twice last month. . But by early evening, the flood warning was lifted. Flooding hit the northeastern part of the state on July 30, washing away bridges, destroying homes and washing out roads in the rural town of Lyndon. Three weeks ago, the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl caused deadly flooding. President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Vermont.
Rick Dente, owner of Dente’s Market in Barrie, Vermont, used plastic and sandbags to protect his business as the rain poured down Friday. “There’s nothing you can do,” he said.
Jaqi Kincaid, who was hit by flooding in Linden, Vermont, last month, said previous storms destroyed her garage and well, so they were without water. It also felled a 120-foot (36-meter) tree and removed a fence.
“We do a lot of this,” Kincaid said, clasping her hands as if in prayer.
