First responders launched high-water and helicopter rescues of people trapped in cars and homes in rural New York and Pennsylvania as heavy rain from the remnants of Debby slammed the Northeast with intense floods.
The worst of the flash flooding so far in New York was occurring in villages and hamlets in a largely rural area south of the Finger Lakes, not far from the Pennsylvania border.
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First responders launched high-water and helicopter rescues of people trapped in cars and homes in rural New York and Pennsylvania as heavy rain from the remnants of Debby slammed the Northeast with intense floods.
Ann Farkas walks in her flood-damaged home in Canisteo, N.Y., Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, after remnants of Tropical Storm Debby swept tough the area, creating flash flood conditions in some areas. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
People are seen near an uprooted tree in Harrisburg, Pa., after extreme weather from Tropical storm Debby, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
A tree service worker walks past an uprooted tree on Adrian Street in Harrisburg, Pa., after extreme weather from Tropical storm Debby, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
A vehicle is covered by a tree in Harrisburg, Pa., after extreme weather from Tropical storm Debby, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
A tree is split in half on Adrian Street in Harrisburg, Pa., after extreme weather from Tropical storm Debby, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Ann Farkas walks in her flood-damaged home in Canisteo, N.Y., Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, after remnants of Tropical Storm Debby swept tough the area, creating flash flood conditions in some areas. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Ann Farkas, left, works with her daughter Alex Farkas and family friend Damian Hartman as they clean up the Farkas home in Canisteo, N.Y., Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, after remnants of Tropical Storm Debby swept tough the area, creating flash flood conditions in some areas. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
This photo provided by Deb Moss shows massive flooding at a farm in Canisteo, N.Y., as a double-wide trailer is seen floating downriver in the distance, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Deb Moss via AP)
Children survey damage on Adrian Street in Harrisburg, Pa., after extreme weather from Tropical storm Debby, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Ann Farkas walks in her flood-damaged home in Canisteo, N.Y., Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, after remnants of Tropical Storm Debby swept tough the area, creating flash flood conditions in some areas. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Three female mallard ducks paddle across a flooded street after heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby in Frederick, Md. on Friday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Ric Dugan/The Frederick News-Post via AP)
Flooding from Tropical Storm Debby covers the street near the City Dock in Annapolis, Md., on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024 (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner via AP)
Will Sizemore kayaks in a flooded area near the City Dock in Annapolis, Md., on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner via AP)
Lily Gensler goes for a paddle in Fells Point in Baltimore as the remnants of Hurricane Debby pass through Maryland, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner via AP)
Kari Lynch pick up trash from flood waters near the City Dock in Annapolis, Md., on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner via AP)
A man walks to work in the flooded streets of downtown Baltimore on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024 (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner via AP)
The Winooski River, swollen from precipitation from Tropical Storm Debby, is seen Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Plainfield, Vt. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)
Debris covers the ground in Moncks Corner, S.C., from a possible tornado as Tropical Storm Debby settles over this region of South Carolina, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024 (Megan Fernandes/The Post And Courier via AP)
A person wears flip flops as they ride their bike through a puddle in Ottawa, Ontario, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Robert Chesnut walks through water at his Palm Blvd. home after it was flooded by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Isle of Palms, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
A storefront after Tropical Storm Debby passed by Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Georgetown, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Parts of Springfield Middle School are damaged by a tornado, spawned by Tropical Storm Debby, after passing through Lucama, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Makiya Seminera)
Parts of Springfield Middle School are damaged by a tornado, spawned by Tropical Storm Debby, after passing Lucama, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Makiya Seminera)
Parts of Springfield Middle School lay on the ground after being ripped off by a tornado, spawned by Tropical Storm Debby, in Lucama, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Makiya Seminera)
Randy Sikes, left, brooms water out of Diamond Dave's Grill as residual rain water flooding the downtown area due to Tropical Storm Debby begins to recede, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Randy Sikes, left, brooms water out of Diamond Dave's Grill as residual rain water flooding the downtown area due to Tropical Storm Debby begins to recede, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
A drain pulls in residual rain water floods the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
A middle school in Wilson County, North Carolina is seen on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, after being damaged by a tornado spawned by Tropical Storm Debby. (Christopher Long/The Wilson Times via AP)
Robert Chesnut starts his water pump at his Palm Blvd. home after it was flooded by Tropical Storm Debby Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Isle of Palms, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Residual rain water floods the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Emily Peterson Dowless, left, walks past her business Market on Main as residual rain water floods the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Part of the roof of Genesis Cooper's home is shown blown off after a tornado, spawned by Tropical Storm Debby, passed through Lucama, N.C., on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Makiya Seminera)
A roof collapsed on a house when a tornado hit near Lucama, N.C. as bands from Tropical Storm Debby moved through early Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Travis Long/The News & Observer via AP)
Residual rain water floods the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Debris from a tornado spun off by the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, litters the campus of Springfield Middle School in Lucama, N.C., on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)
Debris from a tornado spun off by the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, litters the campus of Springfield Middle School in Lucama, N.C., on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)
Randy Sikes speaks to his relatives on a mobile phone as he stands in residual rain water flooding the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Randy Sikes speaks to his relatives on a mobile phone as he stands in residual rain water flooding the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Debby bringing heavy rain, flooding and possible tornadoes northeast into the weekend
Debby bringing heavy rain, flooding and possible tornadoes northeast into the weekend
A house is damaged by a tornado spawned by Tropical Storm Debby in Wilson County, N.C. on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Christopher Long/The Wilson Times via AP)
In Steuben County, which borders Pennsylvania, officials ordered the evacuation of the towns of Jasper, Woodhull and part of Addison, and said people were trapped as floodwaters made multiple roads impassable. By mid-evening, some of those orders were being lifted as threat of severe flooding passed.
In the hamlet of Woodhull, a rain-swollen creek ran so ferociously that the water overtopped a bridge. Area resident Stephanie Waters said parts of sheds, branches and uprooted trees were among the debris that slammed into the span.
“Hearing the trees hit the bridge was scary,” she said.
Fire Chief Timothy Martin said everybody was safe in the town, but “every business in Woodhull is damaged.”
John Anderson said he watched the floodwaters come up quickly, overwhelming some vehicles in Canisteo, in Steuben County, and nearby in Andover, in Allegany County. “It’s not a slow rise. It’s been very fierce,” said Anderson, who was providing dispatches to The Wellsville Sun. He said he watched people’s belongings get carried away by the raging water.
In Canisteo, farm owners Cliff and Deb Moss suffered heavy damage to their dairy farm, which has been there for more than five decades. A neighbor’s double-wide trailer floated down a field to a river during the flooding, said their daughter, Stacey Urban.
Urban said the catastrophic damage to the community was still coming into focus and was hard to fathom.
“They have lost a lot. Beyond heartbreaking,” Urban said.
Ann Farkas, who also lives in Canisteo, said it was the first time her home, one of the oldest in the county, has flooded since she moved there in 1976. She now has to shovel out layers of thick and heavy silt that were left behind.
“The water’s going down, and so what's left is this really thick — it's like wet concrete — mud,” Farkas said. Her plans are to clean out a garage so furniture can be moved there before the baseboards, floorboards and possibly the subflooring on the first floor can be ripped up.
“Like a lot of people, I don’t have flood insurance, so I doubt my homeowner’s is going to cover any of this," she said.
Steuben County manager Jack Wheeler said the storm was hitting some of the same areas as Tropical Storm Fred three years earlier and that a half-dozen swift water rescue teams were retrieving people trapped in vehicles and homes.
About 20 evacuees arrived at a shelter set up at a high school, Red Cross spokesperson Michael Tedesco said. A second shelter was also being set up at another high school in Steuben County.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro declared states of emergency.
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield said a National Guard helicopter with aquatic rescue capability was sent to Tioga County because flooding conditions had become severe in the region, which runs along the New York state line.
Padfield said Tioga officials have asked for help with eight to 10 rescue locations, and multiple boat-based rescues were also being conducted.
In Potter County, also on the border with New York, the storm took out bridges and did severe damage to Route 49, Commissioner Bob Rossman said.
“My understanding is the roadway is pretty much well gone,” Rossman said. “That’ll be a very costly replacement. And one of the main thoroughfares in the county.”
He said one firefighter suffered water-related injuries, but Rossman did not know the extent.
More than 150,000 customers were without power across New York and Pennsylvania, according to PowerOutage.us.
Debby was downgraded to a tropical depression late Thursday afternoon and was a post-tropical cyclone on Friday, the National Hurricane Center said. It made landfall early Monday on the Gulf Coast of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane, emerged over the Atlantic Ocean and then hit land a second time early Thursday in South Carolina as a tropical storm.
In Vermont, where thousands were without power, Gov. Phil Scott warned that Debby's remnants could cause serious damage, including in already drenched places that were hit by flash flooding twice last month. Flooding that slammed the northeastern part of the state on July 30 knocked out bridges, destroyed and damaged homes, and washed away roads in the rural town of Lyndon. It came three weeks after deadly flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl. President Joe Biden approved Vermont’s emergency declaration.
Rick Dente, who owns Dente’s Market in Barre, Vermont, worked to protect his business with plastic and sandbags as the rain poured down on Friday. “There isn’t a whole lot else you can do,” he said.
Jaqi Kincaid, hit by flooding last month in Lyndon, Vermont, said the previous storm knocked out her garage and well, so they have no water. It also felled a 120-foot (36-meter) tree and took down fencing.
“We’re doing a lot of this,” Kincaid said, holding her hands together as if in prayer.
Stormwater swamped parts of downtown Annapolis, Maryland, including at the U.S. Naval Academy on Friday. And flash flooding hit the South Carolina town of Moncks Corner, where one of Debby’s early bands unleashed a tornado on Tuesday. Across the surrounding Berkeley County, emergency crews made 33 high-water rescues.
There were eight dam breaches in Georgia, half of them in rural Bulloch County northwest of Savannah, Gov. Brian Kemp said. At one point, 140 people were in shelters, he said. Some poultry facilities flooded, and some cattle were lost in flooded pastures, officials said.
There have been at least nine deaths related to Debby, most in vehicle accidents or from fallen trees.
This story has been updated to correct that Jaqi Kincaid was hit once by flooding, not twice. It also has been updated to correct the spelling of the Pennsylvania governor’s name.
Sharp and Whittle reported from Portland, Maine. Hill reported from Altamont, New York. Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Associated Press journalists Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, New York; Lisa Rathke in Barre, Vermont; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; and Susan Haigh in Norwich, Conn. contributed to this report.
Ann Farkas stands near the waterway that flooded her home in Canisteo, N.Y. Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, after remnants of Tropical Storm Debby swept tough the area, creating flash flood conditions in some areas. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Ann Farkas walks in her flood-damaged home in Canisteo, N.Y., Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, after remnants of Tropical Storm Debby swept tough the area, creating flash flood conditions in some areas. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
People are seen near an uprooted tree in Harrisburg, Pa., after extreme weather from Tropical storm Debby, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
A tree service worker walks past an uprooted tree on Adrian Street in Harrisburg, Pa., after extreme weather from Tropical storm Debby, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
A vehicle is covered by a tree in Harrisburg, Pa., after extreme weather from Tropical storm Debby, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
A tree is split in half on Adrian Street in Harrisburg, Pa., after extreme weather from Tropical storm Debby, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Ann Farkas walks in her flood-damaged home in Canisteo, N.Y., Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, after remnants of Tropical Storm Debby swept tough the area, creating flash flood conditions in some areas. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Ann Farkas, left, works with her daughter Alex Farkas and family friend Damian Hartman as they clean up the Farkas home in Canisteo, N.Y., Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, after remnants of Tropical Storm Debby swept tough the area, creating flash flood conditions in some areas. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
This photo provided by Deb Moss shows massive flooding at a farm in Canisteo, N.Y., as a double-wide trailer is seen floating downriver in the distance, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Deb Moss via AP)
Children survey damage on Adrian Street in Harrisburg, Pa., after extreme weather from Tropical storm Debby, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Sean Simmers/The Patriot-News via AP)
Ann Farkas walks in her flood-damaged home in Canisteo, N.Y., Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, after remnants of Tropical Storm Debby swept tough the area, creating flash flood conditions in some areas. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Three female mallard ducks paddle across a flooded street after heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby in Frederick, Md. on Friday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Ric Dugan/The Frederick News-Post via AP)
Flooding from Tropical Storm Debby covers the street near the City Dock in Annapolis, Md., on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024 (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner via AP)
Will Sizemore kayaks in a flooded area near the City Dock in Annapolis, Md., on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner via AP)
Lily Gensler goes for a paddle in Fells Point in Baltimore as the remnants of Hurricane Debby pass through Maryland, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner via AP)
Kari Lynch pick up trash from flood waters near the City Dock in Annapolis, Md., on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner via AP)
A man walks to work in the flooded streets of downtown Baltimore on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024 (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner via AP)
The Winooski River, swollen from precipitation from Tropical Storm Debby, is seen Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Plainfield, Vt. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)
Debris covers the ground in Moncks Corner, S.C., from a possible tornado as Tropical Storm Debby settles over this region of South Carolina, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024 (Megan Fernandes/The Post And Courier via AP)
A person wears flip flops as they ride their bike through a puddle in Ottawa, Ontario, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Robert Chesnut walks through water at his Palm Blvd. home after it was flooded by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Isle of Palms, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
A storefront after Tropical Storm Debby passed by Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Georgetown, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Parts of Springfield Middle School are damaged by a tornado, spawned by Tropical Storm Debby, after passing through Lucama, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Makiya Seminera)
Parts of Springfield Middle School are damaged by a tornado, spawned by Tropical Storm Debby, after passing Lucama, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Makiya Seminera)
Parts of Springfield Middle School lay on the ground after being ripped off by a tornado, spawned by Tropical Storm Debby, in Lucama, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Makiya Seminera)
Randy Sikes, left, brooms water out of Diamond Dave's Grill as residual rain water flooding the downtown area due to Tropical Storm Debby begins to recede, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Randy Sikes, left, brooms water out of Diamond Dave's Grill as residual rain water flooding the downtown area due to Tropical Storm Debby begins to recede, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
A drain pulls in residual rain water floods the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
A middle school in Wilson County, North Carolina is seen on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, after being damaged by a tornado spawned by Tropical Storm Debby. (Christopher Long/The Wilson Times via AP)
Robert Chesnut starts his water pump at his Palm Blvd. home after it was flooded by Tropical Storm Debby Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Isle of Palms, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)
Residual rain water floods the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Emily Peterson Dowless, left, walks past her business Market on Main as residual rain water floods the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Part of the roof of Genesis Cooper's home is shown blown off after a tornado, spawned by Tropical Storm Debby, passed through Lucama, N.C., on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Makiya Seminera)
A roof collapsed on a house when a tornado hit near Lucama, N.C. as bands from Tropical Storm Debby moved through early Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Travis Long/The News & Observer via AP)
Residual rain water floods the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Debris from a tornado spun off by the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, litters the campus of Springfield Middle School in Lucama, N.C., on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)
Debris from a tornado spun off by the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, litters the campus of Springfield Middle School in Lucama, N.C., on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)
Randy Sikes speaks to his relatives on a mobile phone as he stands in residual rain water flooding the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Randy Sikes speaks to his relatives on a mobile phone as he stands in residual rain water flooding the downtown area caused by Tropical Storm Debby, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Bladenboro, NC. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Debby bringing heavy rain, flooding and possible tornadoes northeast into the weekend
Debby bringing heavy rain, flooding and possible tornadoes northeast into the weekend
A house is damaged by a tornado spawned by Tropical Storm Debby in Wilson County, N.C. on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Christopher Long/The Wilson Times via AP)
