ARCHIVE: Remnants of Hurricane Frances flood Rochester area (9/9/04)

so we're in contact with the fire departments locally uh and we have close connections with many of them and they dispatch us and we keep in cont constant contact with them to find out where we're most needed [Applause] the most nervous moment for Penfield Town Crews came with a call for help this afternoon a kayaker had overturned and was swept down to around the qu Creek but when the Rescue Unit arrived the kayaker was safe he was the kayaker I jumped in after him was a friend of yours yeah and his friend was soaking and smiling after pulling him out it'll probably be a little embarrassed but yeah it's stupid stuff that you don't think is is dangerous at first and you know you learn from it the housing complex near the creek could not protect cars several were lost overnight some lost on the way to work in the dark this morning I started driving I was already driving and it just the water just started rushing in the car into the car yeah but as big a problem as the rain has been for the parking lots and the cars in them there is one big advantage to living in these kind minum most of them are built raised up on Banks and so the water has stayed out of most of the homes Penfield Crews turn trucks Into Water Taxis and most seem to enjoy the chauffer service at the most part actually I think most of them they've lift here long enough and they're used to it running water did Force One business to close the large nalgi nunk Plastics production facility dozens of workers celebrated the day off their boss are working to reopen and prevent any losses in Revenue but with the state of emergency lifted most feel Francis could have been a lot more unkind to the east side in Penfield Evan Dawson wokr new source 13 they very yes see right stand okay thanks Kevin yeah for now um it may go it may go with more but um just so we can have some fire protection in the in the district the chief for the Hilton fire department called for additional manpower to help while his firefighters try to save their Firehouse heavy rain caused a nearby Creek to flood the grounds and parking lot around the fire station Crews work to try to stop flooding but the creek was Rising too fast I got to get out of herez you going to stay we're going to be flooded in here in a minute Crews have used sandbags to build a wall to try to stop the flow of water but as you can see it's not working water is Flowing right through this Firehouse the chief says if the creek continues to overflow they will have to evacuate and shut down this fire department in addition to sandbags a truck was used to try to pump water away from the station I've never seen the firehouse flood like this before some people who live in towns stop to take pictures it's kind of overwhelming I mean that's the carnival field normally that's full of well it's grass and it's very nice and then when we have the carnival it's full of cars and people and it's just unbelievable to see it like this Don Stillson has been a firefighter for Hilton for 38 years he says the last time it flooded this bad was 30 years ago it's sad there's a lot of work went into that building and uh to see it all go underwater it's uh heartbreaking really although it appears it's a losing battle Stillson says it's nice to see everyone working together to do what has to be done you can't fool Mother Nature you she's going to win in Parma shelanda Roberts wokr new source 13 ins within 5 minutes it was going over the top of the driveway and when it started to go down to the other side it sounded like Niagara Falls and it was no exaggeration the water really really came waterfront property no one wants homes surrounded homeowners stranded you know so as went up this morning it was totally surrounded by water and I definitely wasn't going anywhere there Brockport had a water park today complete with visitors the retention Pond couldn't keep up Highway Crews searched and unclogged storm drains Canal Road was both a canal and a road this is probably the worst that I've seen I've been around here for 32 years other roads have the same problem drivers attempted but backed up it's just incredibly uh uh I've never seen any water like this a lot of them just you know I mean they get through the water but they get the water into the system and it just drowns them Ducks didn't mind the water homeowners take it all in stride it was raining when I came home from work and you know I've seen that before so I didn't uh expect it to be up on my doorstep this morning we've never ever ever seen at this bed we've been here for 14 years Cheryl mck's basement is home to her mother it used to be a cozy apartment that was until this morning about 5:15 my mom started yelling and screaming that the bed was floating the bed was floating and um so I came down and I looked and sure enough the water was just gushing mckever says the water poured in at about 6 in an hour by the time the rain let up her refrigerator couch everything her mother owned was floating the Antiques that she had the photo album things that you really can't replace of the pictures and the years and things that she's um you know had with family and friends all those things are gone now the Greece fire department says Crews responded to more than a 100 flood calls since early this morning firefighters will pump the water out of people's basements but for most of the day there was no place to put it the roads were flooded the sewer system was just overwhelmed but now we're getting to the point where it's receding and we are going to assist people by pumping until firefighters get to her house Cheryl mckever is taking her family to a hotel a little Comfort before facing this mess yeah I do have flood insurance but the flood insurance doesn't cover the memories Insurance guys I can do did you did you want to go in or right here the water heater is right here it is just is just amazing right here the water heater right there it is just it is just amazing that's what I to tell working adult who is really too busy in their mind you guys F over hey want I that'd be nice um this on did you did you want to go in or the rain came while most of us slept and when we awoke the landscape looked much different this was no day at the beach in Spencerport the rain Clos roads and school on the very first day firefighters called down for help felt powerless the rain just keeps coming and those flood waters keep coming we really can't do anything for pumping basement out it's just going to come right back in so we're making sure the people are safe we're making sure that their homes are safe and telling them hang tight we'll be back when the thing stops they were waiting for it to stop in Brockport too it was hard to tell Canal rode from the canal the woman in this house an island unto herself reachable only by phone until the water receded in this gree neighborhood nothing could keep the water out not a chain link fence nor the walls of this home where just about everything that could float did even the flowers looked as if they too had had enough of a good thing we're famous today are you flooding in there or no I know concern will be for the flooding problems that are associated with those larger bodies of water as they start to fill up so the Persistence of this flooding problem will be with us uh 24 to 48 hours it is a good window view of it we're famous today imagine you can't get into your home because 10 to 12 feet of water stand in your way families on Canal Road have been evacuated only the adventurists seem to be having fun with this why are you doing this there's nothing else to do the concern now that this Bank in between the road and the canal will collapse I've been in the fire department 28 years I've never seen anything like this thank you after quick hot meal many volunteers of the five fire departments helping out since early this morning move on and we follow them to the nearby Village of Hilton where even the fire department is underwater there South Avenue shut down now somewhat of a tourist destination as neighbors get a look at what's a little different now no uh air under the bridge a few blocks away a surprise for denell Norris dropped I happen just look out the win went oh we got a pool now literally her neighbor's above ground pool collapsed and Spilled into her lawn and as for that trampoline that used to be in her backyard it's it's it's on its way to Canada right now but Norris says she's just grateful her home is still okay she realizes not everyone in the area is so lucky Holly mayor W KR new source 13 Ralph and Margaret Harris were surprised when they woke up this morning they came and knocked in the door and said move everything up out you know onto the other up so it was up out of the water and then uh first thing I knew they knocked on the door again they said get your hat and coat you're evacuating Harris said the water in front of their first floor apartment was so deep firefighters had to carry them from the doorstep to their car Cindy Leisure also lives on the first floor in another building when she saw the water was getting closer she moved her furniture to try to save it I got all brand new stuff I don't want it wrecked so yeah I worry I worry and I don't have insurance Patricia Lennox came home from work this morning only to find a river in front of her apartment building what can we do you know we just got to wait and see what happens most likely she'll join Ralph and Margaret Harris at a nearby shelter the harrises were in the middle of moving and are worried about the packed boxes they left on the floor they said in the rush to leave this morning they didn't bring anything with them or nothing not even our medicine I never thought of that so all home on the table the Red Cross will get the harrises the medicine they need and make sure all who need it have a warm dry place to stay tonight in the village of Hilton shelanda Roberts wokr new source 13 which one's yours about here ever seen anything like this before uh eight years ago