WTEN: Albany, New York News, Weather, Sports - Another Batch of Wild Storms Rip Through Capital Region

Another Batch of Wild Storms Rip Through Capital Region

More raging storms blow through our area leaving a path of extensive damage behind. And fierce flooding continues to disrupt life all around the Capital Region, as homes are destroyed, roads are washed out, and even marriage plans may have to be put on hold.

Flood watches are still in effect for some parts of our viewing area, including in Hamilton, Herkimer, Fulton and Montgomery Counties.

Some roadways are still closed, but the NYS Thruway is now back open. However, drivers still cannot get off at Exit 29 in Canajoharie.

Meantime, public works officials in communities around the Capital Region are out checking bridges for damage.

Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Hillary Clinton will tour the flooded regions on Friday, making stops in Binghamton, Livingston Manor, and here in Canajoharie. They will visit with local officials and rescue crews to discuss their efforts to commit federal resources to assist in the recovery and cleanup effort. They will tour the downtown village area of Canajoharie around 3:45pm.

Governor Pataki declared a state disaster emergency late Wednesday morning for flood-ravaged counties. 13 counties in total are still operating under state of emergencies. They include: Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Orange, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, Tioga and Ulster Counties.

On Thursday, Governor Pataki asked the FEMA to conduct damage assessments in all 13 counties in order to expedite assistance to the thousands of New Yorkers and businesses affected by the severe flooding across the state.

Pataki also activated the National Guard early Tuesday evening to support evacuation and engineering missions. More than 300 National Guard soldiers are expected to be involved in evacuation-related and other flood response missions by Thursday.

Thursday evening, more storms rolled through our area. The quick, intense storms brought lots of hail, and brought down lots of trees and branches. It also knocked out power and brought out neighbors checking on neighbors.

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Power Outage Update

National Grid crews are working around the clock to get power restored around the Capital Region. Currently, there are 8-thousand customers without service, affected by the storm that swept through Thursday evening. That is on top of the already 8-thousand customers affected by the heavy rains and flooding from Wednesday into Thursday. The storm Thursday evening produced violent hail, as well as heavy rains that toppled trees, bringing down wires.

As of 10 o'clock Thursday evening, there were just over 2-thousand customers without service in the Schenectady area. In Glenville, just over 2-thousand customers as well are without service. In Pittstown: 1-thousand. Just outside Saratoga Springs, 1-thousand. Within Saratoga Springs, about 8-hundred. In Malta and Stillwater, 7-hundred. And in Waterford, 500 customers remain without service.

National Grid Spokesman Tom Corbitt tells NEWS10, that by morning, they should be in good shape, and the majority of those customers without service should have power back on.

Capital Region Roundup

The rising water reached the Albany Yacht Club, tearing away docks and sending boats crashing down the Hudson River. The flooding there in Rensselaer not nearly as fierce as what we saw to the west Wednesday, but the damage causing just as much heartache.

The Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia is submerged by the overflowing Mohawk River. Conditions there has all but placed the wedding gazebo under water.

A large-scale rescue effort Wednesday afternoon saved the life of a boater on the Mohawk River in Rotterdam Junction. 74-year-old Robert Wade was working on his 42-foot yacht, while it was docked, when a large tree traveling in the fast moving water struck the dock and caused the yacht and dock to travel downstream. Wade attempted to start the engine and get to shore; however, a line attached to the boat became tangled in the propeller causing the boat to lose power. Wade was unable to get the boat to shore, resulting in it crashing into the bridge at Lock 9, where it became lodged against the lock. Wade was secured by ropes and pulled to safety, just before his yacht fell apart from the fast moving water and debris. Wade did not suffer any serious injuries.

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Here is a list of road closures and state of emergencies that still exist around the area:

Fulton County:

There are several closures in Fulton County, including Gray Youker Road, Allen Road, Bacon Brook Road, Gabryzewki Road and Iris Settlement Road. The Oppenheim Volunteer Fire Department also says along Route 29, the bridge at the Herkimer County line is closed.

Schoharie County:

There are several local roadways also shut down in Schoharie County. In Seward, Lowe Road to the end of Route 165 is closed. West Richmondville Road by Furnaceville is also closed in the Seward/Richmondville area. The Warnerville Cutoff is also closed in Richmondville. In Sharon, Engleville Road by Olsen is shut down. In Summit, Charlotte Valley Road and Mead Road, by Fishery, is closed. Also in Summit, Lutheranville Road, between Mud Lake and Sisson Road is closed. And in Conesville, Bull Hill Road near Robinson Road is shut down. The water levels at the Gilboa Dam began to recede at 3 o'clock Wednesday afternoon and are continuing to go down.

Montgomery County:

Route 5-S from Fultonville to the Village of Canajoharie is closed. State Route 5 from Palentine to Fonda is shut down. Route 80 from the Village of Fort Plain to Fords Bush Road is closed due to a mudslide. Route 5 in the Village of St. Johnsville is shut down. A section of Main Street in Fonda is closed. Route 30-A South in the Village of Fultonville is closed as well. The Village of Canajoharie is operating under a severe weather emergency, due to flooding, road damage and road closures. Parking is prohibited on all village streets, and travel is limited to emergency vehicles only.

Greene County:

Part of Route 23-A remains closed between Palenville and Haines Falls, where a retaining wall gave way.

Herkimer County:

The Mohawk River is completely out of its banks in both Little Falls and Dolgeville. All roads in Herkimer County are closed to traffic due to the state of emergency and flooding.

Albany County:

Route 145 is closed due to flooding. Route 140 in Coeymans Hollow is also shut down.

Lock Closures on the NYS Canal System:

The NYS Canal Corporation has closed the Erie Canal from Lock E-2 in Waterford to Lock E-22 in New Lebanon/Sylvan Beach, and the entire Champlain Canal due to high water. Recent heavy rains have resulted in flood waters rising above many Canal navigation locks along the Mohawk River. The Waterford flight has been closed to thru traffic because of high water; however, the Canal Corporation is allowing vessels to take refuge in the flight from the Hudson River until the high water subsides.

Oneonta:

Parts of Oneonta are underwater. It is under a state of emergency after massive amounts of rain caused most of the city's downtown to flood. CIty officials say many residents left their homes in a voluntary evacuation. Parts of the reservoir flowed over the dam and washed out some streets. Mayor John Nader says that their major concern is the aging dam and the erosion that continues to let more water wash over.

Schenectady County Emergency Management:

Flooding on the Mohawk River in Schenectady County has been occurring at Pattersonville, Rotterdam Junction, the Village of Scotia, Alpaus, Niskayuna and the Stockade neighborhood in the City of Schenectady. Potential for additional flooding exists due to debris build up at Lock 10. The Canal Corporation has indicated that the situation at Lock 10 could contribute two to three feet of flood waters to the Mohawk River. The Rotterdam Police Department is advising all residents in the area of the Mohawk River, particularly Rotterdam Junction and Pattersonville, that the potential exists for water to flood lower lying areas.

Shelters:

Several shelters have been set up across the Capital Region to assist those affected by the heavy rains and widespread flooding. The Red Cross has set up eight shelters: the Canajoharie Senior High School, the Harry Hoag Elementary School in Fort Plain, St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Richmondville, the Meco School in Gloversville, the Johnstown Volunteer Ambulance Squad in Johnstown, the Oppenheim Day Hub in St. Johnsville, the Jefferson Central School, and the Fonda-Fultonville Central School in Fonda. These shelters will provide residents with a safe and dry environment as well as warm beverages and food. The shelters will remain open until they are no longer needed. A shelter has also been set up at the First Reformed Church in Scotia.

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It could be some time before things here dry out and get back to normal.

Stay tuned to NEWS10 and wten.com for continuous updates on this severe weather. We are committed to keeping you updated on road closures, state of emergencies and any information that comes in to our newsroom in relation to the weather problems we are experiencing.