Flash Flooding Closes Roads, Damages Homes in Central New York

Home and business owners in New York’s Finger Lakes region were dealing with flooded basements after heavy rains caused flash flooding that inundated roads in several towns Tuesday. A state of emergency was declared in at least one county.

The Seneca County Sheriff’s Office issued a no unnecessary travel alert Tuesday morning after roads flooded in four towns between Seneca and Cayuga lakes. County officials declared a state of emergency in the towns of Covert, Lodi, Ovid and Romulus.

The National Weather Service said up to five inches of rain fell in that area, prompting a flash flood alert advising residents to seek higher ground. Emergency crews worked to evacuate residents surrounded by rising water, the weather service said.

There were no reports of injuries.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office said he was on his way to Seneca County to survey the storm damage. The Democrat’s office said he planned to hold a news conference late Tuesday morning at Sunset on Seneca, a campground in the town of Lodi, on Seneca Lake’s east shore. A message left on the campground’s voice mail wasn’t returned.

Walter Rudolph and his wife Nancy had three-to-four feet of water in one of the two homes that make up their Glass Magnolia Bed and Breakfast in Covert. He said he woke up around 5 a.m. and watched water course through his property for the next hour.

Rudolph said the flooding washed debris across his lawns and tore up his driveway, and his immediate neighbors all have damage to their property.

“We got whacked pretty good,” Rudolph told The Associated Press over the phone.

The weather service has issued flash flood warnings for parts of the Finger Lakes and New York’s Southern Tier and bordering Pennsylvania counties, along with flash flood watches for upstate counties from central New York to New England.