State of emergency in Essex County

ELIZABETHTOWN | Late night Halloween weather delivered a mean blow as hours of heavy rain broke into a severe wind storm after daylight. One rain gauge at Water Street measured four inches that fell in about seven hours between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Essex County's Office of Emergency Services and National Weather Service alerts for severe flooding risk began in the wee morning hours, when the Ausable River poured over its banks in Jay, AuSable Forks and Keene, closing roadways along Routes 9N, 9 and 73, limiting access between Elizabethtown and points north. Some residents on social media said it was the worst flooding since Hurricane Irene eight years ago. The Ausable River topped at 11.5 feet in the height of the storm and had receded back to 11.27 feet as of noon. Routes between Moriah and Newcomb closed around the same time, with flooding of riverways at Tracey and Ensign Pond roads. Around 4:30 a.m., Willsboro Town Supervisor and Chairman of the Essex County Board of Supervisors Shaun Gillilland issued an emergency declaration for Essex County. In a message shared by hundreds via Facebook, Gillilland said significant flooding had occurred throughout Essex County, resulting in numerous road closures and dangerous driving conditions. "I have declared a state of emergency for the county limiting non essential road travel. Essex County government is closed today for non-essential personnel," Gillilland said. "If you must travel use extreme caution, and do not drive through any flooded roads. We have incidents of drivers being trapped in their cars in areas around the county." Fire companies were called to respond to flooded roads in North Hudson, AuSable Forks, Elizabethtown, Keene, Jay, Upper Jay, North Elba, Westport, Ticonderoga, Newcomb and Schroon. WORKING IN DARK Local emergency responders spent most of the night and morning scrambling to cope with the overwhelming damage. Starting in the dark, crews worked to place barriers as water poured over river banks from one end of the county to another. In Ticonderoga, Assistant Fire Chief Bill Norton said first-responders had been up all night answering flooding calls and reports of water over roads. At 7 a.m. Friday, the LaChute River was out of its banks flooding roads and banks. Residents of Hague were effectively trapped around noon Friday, as Route 8 heading west to Brant Lake was washed out, as was Route 9 heading south. The final way out — heading north to Ticonderoga — was blocked when the limb of a white pine fell, knocking live wires across the road. Traffic was backed up in both directions waiting for crews to clear the road. Ramps approaching the bridge at Lobdell Lane to Otis Mountain washed out about 7 a.m. The Blue Ridge Road was flooded by The Branch, which empties into the Schroon River; a pond formed a moat around the A-Frame at the former Frontier Town property. SCHOOLS, HEALTH CENTERS CLOSED The county closed Early Voting Polls at the Public Safety Building. University of Vermont Health Network, Elizabethtown Community Hospital closed its health centers in Westport, Crown Point and Wilmington. And numerous schools closed, including Boquet Valley Central, Moriah, Schroon, Willsboro, AuSable Valley, Keene and Crown Point schools, keeping buses full of children off the roads. Ticonderoga Central had a planned closure for a staff development day. SIRENS The storm kicked into high wind mode with 50- to 60 mile-per-hour gusts recorded around 9 a.m. Wind damage triggered scores of 911 calls for fire personnel, sheriff's deputies and town highway crews to monitor trees fallen and sparking on electric wires; wires down and arcing; and other wind-related damage. The normal chatter of business from county offices, courts, shoppers and diners turned into rumble of heavy equipment here. Fire sirens competed with howling winds. A very large tree pushed wires down onto Route 73 near the junction at 9N, closing that key access point between Keene, Jay and Lake Placid. WATER RESCUE At least six people were rescued by airboat in Southern Essex County. Bev Cooper said she and her husband, Paul, were supposed to be leaving for Florida on Friday, but became trapped in the RV that is their home by rapidly rising water on the Schroon River. "It was crazy, we started seeing all this stuff coming down the river — we were saying, 'there goes a picnic table,' she said. Paul Cooper said the water had not gotten into their RV, but suspected other vehicles they had at the campground would be damaged. Department of Conservation Rangers said water had cut a number of people off from the main roads, and another rescue was reported in North Hudson, where a boat was dispatched to pick up a man and a woman and their two children. Tracey Whitty, a friend of the Coopers, said the water came up fast. In the morning, she said it was lapping at the tires of a pickup parked in the campground, but that a few hours later much of the campground was under water. Eyewitnesses said the damage won't be known until the water recedes. 'PRACTICE EXTREME CAUTION' Essex County Emergency Services issued an update as of 11 a.m. "The County Of Essex, NY declared a State of Emergency on November 1, 2019 in response to the unsafe conditions from the High Winds and Heavy Rains we experienced overnight. We currently have 57 road closures, 600 locations in the County without power. NYSDEC evacuated several residents due to flooding via airboat in North Hudson. The AuSable River peaked at 11.5 feet, and has receded back to 11.27 feet. The 911 trunks are currently down, and 911 calls are being rerouted to Clinton County Emergency Services." Emergency Services said they are working closely with several state, county and town officials to resolve all issues as quickly as possible. "The general public is urged to remain off roadways until further notice with exception of essential personnel. If travel is necessary, practice extreme caution doing so." As of 11:30 a.m., National Grid advised that they had a field force of 2,300 workers active across upstate New York, removing downed wires, trees, broken poles and other hazards. "Dangerous wind conditions are expected to continue throughout the day, bringing the potential for further power interruptions. Our first priority is responding to emergencies, opening roads and restoring critical locations, such as hospitals and nursing homes. We're working to assess damage and will be updating estimated restoration times as they become available," National Grid said in a statement on their website. Just past noon, Westport Supervisor Ike Tyler provided a Department of Public Works update, saying Decker Road and River Road in Westport remained closed. "We are under a state of emergency, several roads are in bad shape please be careful if you have to travel!," Tyler urged. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has declared a state of emergency in 11 counties, including Essex. Roughly 200 members of the National Guard have been deployed across the state to help manage the damage. As of 2 p.m., 4,559 customers were without power in Essex County. New York State Electric and Gas is advising residents to stay at least 30 feet from downed lines and to always stay inside a vehicle if it comes into contact with a downed wire. In the event of an outage, residents should check on their neighbors to make sure the power loss is not a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker, report it to officials and keep refrigerators and freezers closed as much as possible. GILLIBRAND, SCHUMER SEND LETTER TO FEMA On Friday, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand "urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to stand ready to approve any request from New York State for a major disaster declaration following the severe flooding and windstorm that rampaged through Upstate New York." Among the counties referenced were Essex, Hamilton and Warren. CLINTON COUNTY In Clinton County, emergency officials were staying busy answering calls about downed lines and trees, some of which caused temporary road closures as crews worked to clear the roadways. No major road closures were reported in the northern county as of 2 p.m. Friday when 1,912 customers remained without power. A barn fire broke out around 2:30 Friday afternoon at 24 Con Road in Ellenburg, but it was unclear if the blaze was storm-related. Ellenburg Depot and Ellenburg Center fire personnel were called to the fully involved structure fire, off Route 11. A tanker task force was called requested. There were reports of animals trapped in the barn. TRAILS, SUMMITS The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has asked the public to stay off backcountry trails and summits throughout the Adirondack region over the next several days. "DEC anticipates that damage in the backcountry will be extensive and that these areas are unstable and dangerous to visitors," the DEC said in a statement. "Water levels are currently high, some bridges are washed out, and all stream crossings will be impassable. In addition, trails are flooded and summits pose danger of potential rock slides and falling debris. High winds have caused a large amount of downed trees and debris at trailheads and on trails, as well as downed trees and power lines across roadways." ROAD CLOSURES The following roads in Essex County were among those affected: Elizabethtown: Route 9 from 73 intersection/Route 9 New Russia; Route 73 between Route 9 and 9N; County Route 8. Moriah: Fairy Lake Road; Silver Hill Road; Route 9N (northbound lane at bottom of Convent Hill); Chipmunk Lane; Switchback Road; Tracy Road; Military Lane Ensign Pond Road; Forge Hollow Road. Ticonderoga: Lord Howe Street; Charboneau Road. North Hudson: Caza Turn Road; Blue Ridge Road; Greenough Road. Jay: Route 9N from Ausable Forks at intervale to Jay and John Fountain to Stickney Bridge roads; Clark Lane; Carey Road. Crown Point: Hogan Hill Road; Hamilton Road; Treadway Road; Buck Mountain Road; White Church Road (closed at Creek Road intersection). Essex: Spear Road; Angier Hill Road. Keene: Lacy Road; Hulls Falls Road; Route 9N (north and south is closed between Route 73 and Springfield Road). North Elba: River Road. Lewis: Denton Road; Wells Hill Road; Blood Hill Road. Schroon: Adirondack Road; Trout Brook Road; Johnson Pond Road; Letsonville Road. Minerva: Trout Brook Road. More detailed and up-to-date road closures can be found at co.essex.ny.us/Advisories or co.essex.ny.us/publicsafety.asp. — Tim Rowland, Andrea VanValkenburg and Nathan Ovalle contributed to this report.

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State of emergency in Essex County

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