Route 11 bridge in Pulaski closed due to high water. Part of large concrete wall, river bank collapse. Cortland County gets more than 6 inches of rain.
View full sizeFlooding of the Salmon River in Oswego County washed out a concrete retaining wall and banks along the river in Pulaski.Record breaking rainfall overnight has left parts of Oswego County and Cortland County underwater, with water overflowing the Salmon River in the village of Altmar and taking out a large concrete wall in the village of Pulaski, officials said.
A bridge over the Salmon River in Pulaski was closed as the water nearly reached the road way, officials said. The mayor there planned a news conference this afternoon to talk about the flooding.
The rushing waters took out a large concrete wall in Pulaski that village officials had previously been concerned might collapse. It also washed away large sections of the bank near a park and houses.
In Altmar, the river spread over its banks through the center of the village, forcing officials to close the roads.
The flooding hit the northeast part of Oswego County – the towns of Richland, Albion and Pulaski — the worst, officials said. Cortland County was also hard hit, with the area getting 6.51 inches of rain from Thursday through 4 a.m. today. That’s was the most rain any county in Central New York received.
» Photo gallery: Flooding in Oswego County
A travel ban for Cortland County was lifted this morning, officials said.
Hancock International Airport received 2.66 inches of rain Thursday, smashing the record for Sept. 30, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record for that date was 0.82 inches recorded in 1950.
Dozens of roads throughout the region were closed by high water.
BEFORE: This is a photo of a large concrete wall along the Salmon River in the village of Pulaski on September 2010. The wall collapsed today, Oct. 1, due to flooding.
AFTER: This is a cellphone shot photo of a wall along the Salmon River that collapsed today, Oct. 1, due to flooding.In Oswego County, a “Condition C” emergency, the lowest level, was declared for the Salmon River because conditions in the river were extremely dangerous. Water has been released from the Salmon River Reservoir since 3 a.m., leading to high water levels on the river.
In Cayuga County, several roads outside Auburn were flooded in isolated spots Thursday night, but all were passable today, according emergency management director Brian Dahl. Roads were flooded in spots in Fleming, Genoa, Moravia, Sennett, Springport and Weedsport. No injuries or other problems were reported. The city received 4.25 inches of rain Thursday.
The remains of a tropical storm off the coast of the Carolinas produced a stream of rain that swamped the East Coast.
Water that rose in smaller streams during the Thursday’s rain is receding this morning, National Weather Service officials said. However, it will take longer for water in larger streams and rivers to go down, they said.
The Mohawk River, for example, to the east of Central New York may reach 2 to 4 feet above flood levels, officials said. Here are the road closing reported in the region:
Oswego County
- South Albion Road is closed at 212 S. Albion Road where the road is gone
- Austin Road off State Route 13; the road is gone and there is a large sink hole
- The County Route 52 bridge in Altmar
Onondaga County
Route 290 between Clemons Road and Minoa Road in Manlius closed, according to the state DOT.
Also in Manlius, officials closed portions of three roads at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Two roads, state Route 173, between Palmer Road and North Eagle Village Road, and Whetstone Road between Chatham Drive and Broadfield Road reopened at 10:15 p.m.
North Eagle Village Road between state Route 173 and Townsend Road remains closed.
Cortland County
A large section of Route 11 is closed between Polkville and Marathon, according to the state DOT.
Water from Trout Brook flowed over the Route 11 bridge between the two areas. Even when Route 11 reopens, its’ likely the bridge will remain closed for a time, DOT said.
Route 41 in McGraw is closed.