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‘Long road ahead’ for Southern Tier communities hit by flash floods

Steuben County officials survey damage from Tropical Storm Debby in the village of Canisteo on Sunday, Aug. 11.
Rebecca Redelmeier / WSKG News
Steuben County officials survey damage from Tropical Storm Debby in the village of Canisteo on Sunday, Aug. 11.

Communities across the Southern Tier are picking up the pieces after intense storms ravaged parts of the area last week, causing flash floods that took out power for thousands of residents and destroyed at least 25 homes.

Tropical Storm Debby brought intense rains to Steuben County in particular, swelling peaceful rivers into violent torrents of water in some areas.

On Friday, roads across the county were closed and several areas were under evacuation orders due to the dangers of flash floods. Monday, some towns were still under states of emergency and travel advisories.

Officials say recovery and rebuilding is underway — with an eye towards ensuring the same damage doesn’t happen again during the next severe storm.

“This is a long road ahead for these communities here in Steuben County,” said Congressman Nick Langworthy, who represents the Southern Tier, while touring the county on Sunday. “We just have to have the best flood mitigation possible.”

Langworthy said he is working with Governor Kathy Hochul and other elected officials to bring more relief to New York state. On Sunday afternoon, after Langworthy’s visit, Hochul toured the area and announced that homeowners impacted by storm damage will be eligible for state grants of up to $50,000 to help pay for repair costs. Eligible homeowners can apply here.

Some of the same parts of Steuben County were hit by flash floods several times before, most recently in 2021. After those floods, the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied the state’s application for federal funding to help individual homeowners in the county recover, though the agency has recently funded other projects to help the area better withstand extreme weather, like fixing utility lines.

Utility crews work to restore power in Steuben County after Friday's storm.
Rebecca Redelmeier / WSKG News
Utility crews work to restore power in Steuben County after the storm.

It’s unclear yet if the damage from the recent storm will qualify for FEMA aid. Either way, Hochul said the state is committed to supporting Steuben County as it rebuilds.

“We cannot be back here one, two, three years from now, having a press conference on this site and saying more should have been done,” Hochul said on Sunday, standing in front of a destroyed home in the village of Canisteo. “We are here and we're not going anywhere.”

Residents rebuild

Steuben County officials say they do not yet have an estimate of total damages from the storm, but report at least 25 homes were destroyed.

One that was damaged belongs to Kenneth Davis, who lives in the village of Canisteo. He was at his home along the Colonel Bills Creek when the storm began. Soon, the waters behind his house began to rise.

“As soon as it started lapping up over the bank, I said no, I gotta get me and my kids and get out of here,” he said on Sunday morning. He brought his family, including two young children, into town to stay at his grandparents’ home, away from the water.

When he returned to his property afterwards, the storm had completely washed away parts of it, including his back steps, three sheds, and everything that was in them.

On Sunday, some of his belongings remained trapped in the pile of debris that washed down the creek and into the Canisteo River, which had surged during Friday’s storm. Other county waterways, like the Cohocton River and Tuscarora Creek, flooded as well, washing out roadways and damaging homes.

Kenneth Davis stands in front of his home in the village of Canisteo, in Steuben County on Aug. 11. Flash floods from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby washed away his back steps and three sheds on his property.
Rebecca Redelmeier / WSKG News
Kenneth Davis stands in front of his home in the village of Canisteo, in Steuben County on Aug. 11. Flash floods from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby washed away his back steps and three sheds on his property.

Davis said he knows the area could be at risk for even more flooding. But he plans to stay living along the creek as long as he can.

“It's a lot more than just a house,” Davis said while he worked to clean up some of the debris in his yard.

Before Davis, his wife and two children moved in last year, the home had belonged to his grandfather. The memories are precious, he said. “Even if I’ve got to build a house on stilts, I'll be here,” he added.

Planning for future storms

Scientists have found that human-driven climate change is causing more severe storms and more frequent floods.

Steuben County Commissioner of Public Works Eric Rose said that officials are working to support residents whose homes have been damaged by the recent floods. The county is also looking to better prepare for flash floods in the future, he said.

That includes collaborating with state agencies, like the Department of Environmental Conservation, to try to reduce the risk of overflowing river banks by removing dead tree branches ahead of time.

Dredging rivers is largely regulated by the DEC, which provides permits. In the past, Rose said it’s been difficult to get those permits from the state.

“We have the ability, we have the folks, we just need the OK from outside agencies to get in these waterways,” he said.

Congressman Langworthy criticized the DEC’s permitting process.

"The DEC state agency prevents a lot of mitigation of tributaries and streams,” he said. “They don't like to give the permits out.”

Congressman Nick Langworthy, who represents the Southern Tier, discusses flood damage in Steuben County with county officials on Aug. 11.
Rebecca Redelmeier / WSKG News
Congressman Nick Langworthy, who represents the Southern Tier, discusses flood damage in Steuben County with county officials on Aug. 11.

A spokesperson for the DEC said in a statement that the agency continues to work with Steuben County to protect infrastructure, homes and public safety and mitigate potential issues before major storm events. "This includes solutions to mitigate flooding by removing significant volumes of debris accumulated along a railroad bridge," the spokesperson said.

"DEC continues to assess storm impacts on the ground and communicate directly with the County and other local leaders to identify how we can help and what we can do to help the county prepare for future storm events," the agency spokesperson continued.

The DEC has issued at least four related permits to Steuben County in 2024, including one for the removal of debris in a protected stream.

Langworthy said it’s clear the county needs to plan for more disasters like this one — and will need support to do so.

“We have to be prepared,” said Langworthy. “If it's happened once, it's likely to happen again.”