‘This is the worst I’ve seen’ cleanup begins in Clifton Springs following floods from record rain

CLIFTON SPRINGS, N.Y. (WHEC)— Parts of Ontario County were hit hard by Tuesday’s storms. The Village of Clifton Springs had heavy downpours resulting in major flooding, and Wednesday was all about cleaning up the damage.

First Assistant Chief of the Clifton Springs Fire Department Stephen DeCook told News10NBC’s Emily Putnam it was some of the worst flooding the town has seen in decades.

"We had a lot of houses that had a lot of flooding in the basements,” DeCook said. “Anywhere from six inches to four feet of water, furnaces underwater, hot water heaters underwater, people being taken out of their homes, power being shut off at their houses."

DeCook said his department took about 30 calls between 4 p.m.Tuesday and midnight. About 30 people waited out the floods at the Clifton Springs YMCA after being evacuated from their homes.

"There was a lot of talk about going to the basement door and opening up the basement and there it is, you know, an inch away from making its way into the kitchen or the first floors,” said Todd Freelove, executive director of the Clifton Springs YMCA.

The Red Cross also stepped in to help by connecting evacuated families with a place to stay.

"They did have rooms provided to them with Red Cross, so they were able to stay at a hotel," Freelove said.

Homeowners in the area of Crane Street and Kendall Street could be looking at weeks’ worth of repairs once the water is gone.

"Everyone’s going to have to have their furnaces re-serviced and hot water re-tested and re-serviced and all that,” said DeCook. “But hopefully with the water going down it’ll be a lot better. And we’re back to houses right now, we were out there for four hours last night pumping a basement."

This is some of the worst flooding Clifton Springs has had in half a century.

"In 1960 there was a flood in this area back then, but this is the worst I’ve seen,” said DeCook.

DeCook estimates that he and his department will be clearing out basements for the next couple of days.