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Cleanup continues after heavy rains soak the region

Heavy rains caused heavy damage in parts of the Finger Lakes on Tuesday, particularly Seneca County.

By mid-morning, Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo issued a state of emergency.

She said that was due to flooding and localized road closures in the town of Perinton and other surrounding areas.

The state of emergency in Monroe County was lifted late Tuesday night.

A flood warning remains in effect until 1:45 p.m. Wednesday for Irondequoit Creek in East-Central Monroe County.

Some of the worst flooding was in Seneca County. News 8 meteorologist Josh Nichols said that in Southern Seneca and Southeastern Yates counties, there were reports of at least 8 inches of rain in several spots.

The Seneca County Sheriff’s Department says that heavy rain has resulted in major flooding in the towns of Covert and Lodi.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says about 50 people are trapped in their homes after heavy downpours in the Finger Lakes region caused flash floods that inundated roads and swept tons of uprooted trees and other debris into a lake.

Cuomo arrived Tuesday morning at the scene of some of the worst damage, in the Seneca County town of Lodi. He says emergency crews are conducting rescue operations to reach trapped residents.

There are no reports of fatalities or injuries.

The governor declared a state of emergency for several counties including: Monroe, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne and Yates through Aug. 21. The State Emergency Operations Center was put on alert along with additional agencies to provide logistics, transportation and rescue help. The New York National Guard is deploying 50 service members and 10 vehicles to support local authorities with flood response.

Pre-dawn downpours dumped up to 5 inches of rain on parts of southern Seneca County between Seneca and Cayuga lakes.

No unnecessary travel is advised there, with numerous homes and roadways flooded and some roads impassable. 

Seneca County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Kip Goodman says there is a state of emergency for several towns there including Lodi, Covert, Ovid, Romulus and the village of Interlaken.

“Right now we have several vehicles that are off the roadway, several roadways that are flooded out, we also are seeing massive debris in roadways, (and) out in Seneca Lake.”

There are reports of some vehicles and a camper washed into Seneca Lake. Deputies are also sending boats out to help assess the damage. Other area law enforcement agencies and first responders are offering assistance.

Seneca Lake was also rising, according to the Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association:

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Seneca County flooding
Veronica Volk / WXXI News
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WXXI News
Seneca County flooding
Seneca County Flooding
Veronica Volk / WXXI News
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WXXI News
Seneca County Flooding
Seneca County flooding
Veronica Volk / WXXI News
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WXXI News
Seneca County flooding
Some of the flood damage in Lodi
Office of Gov. Cuomo /
Some of the flood damage in Lodi
Office of Gov. Cuomo /
Office of Gov. Cuomo /

Copyright 2018 WXXI News

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's Director of News and Public Affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.
Veronica Volk
Veronica Volk is a Reporter/Producer for WXXI News. She comes from WFUV Public Radio, where she began her broadcasting career as a reporter covering the Bronx, and the greater New York City area. She later became the Senior Producer of WFUV’s weekly public affairs show, Cityscape. Originally from Ocean County, New Jersey, Veronica got her B.A. in Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University, concentrating on Media, Culture, and Society.