Dozens trapped in homes by flash flooding, damage

ALBANY, N.Y. — Dozens of people were trapped in their homes Tuesday by fastrising water from flash floods caused by heavy pre-dawn downpours that drenched New York state’s Finger Lakes region, inundating roads and sweeping tons of trees, debris and a camper with a woman trapped inside into one of the lakes, authorities said.

The woman was rescued by a boater, and emergency crews were rescuing about 50 people trapped in their homes and evacuating others by boat on Seneca Lake, Seneca County officials and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

“It’s amazing, the devastation,” the Democrat said as he toured some of the hardest hit areas late Tuesday morning, a few hours after heavy rains turned small creeks into overflowing rivers that devastated an area known for its scenery and wineries.

The Seneca County Sheriff’s Office issued a no unnecessary travel alert 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, about 241 kilometres west of Albany.

The National Weather Service said up to 13 centimetres of rain fell in that area, prompting a flash flood alert advising residents to seek higher ground.

There were no reports of fatalities or injuries.

Carolynn Shangraw, co-owner with her husband of the Sunset on Seneca campground in Lodi, told The Associated Press a woman was inside her camper when flood waters swept it downhill into Seneca Lake before sunrise.

Shangraw said 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.

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