Ë®¹ûÅÉAV

The remnants of Tropical Storm Fred moved through central New York, with rain beginning Tuesday and continuing through much of Thursday. The heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding, especially in southern Cayuga County. The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office issued a no unnecessary travel advisory and urged motorists to avoid roads in low-lying areas near waterways. The advisory has since been lifted. 

According to the National Weather Service, the city of Auburn and parts of Cayuga County had some of the highest rainfall totals in the region over the past three days. As of 10:50 a.m. Thursday, the city had 7.64 inches of rain since Tuesday. Cayuga and Scipio Center had over six inches of rain, while 3.72 inches of rain was reported in Aurora. 

In the town of Owasco, Wagner said there are multiple reports of flooded basements, sewers overflowing and road closures. Two houses will be condemned, including one on Burtis Point where the water came in through the second floor and flooded the house. 

There are 25 boats floating loose on Owasco Lake and the Owasco Fire Department had to remove its boat from the water because of the high water levels. 

The U.S. Geological Survey says Owasco Lake is at 714.47 feet, up from 712.7 feet on Tuesday. The flood stage for the lake is 715 feet. 

"We've had flooding, but not to this extent," Wagner told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV. "Before, it was isolated. Now, we're getting hit from all sides. The city is concerned about the (state Canal Corporation) and what's downstream. We're concerned about what's upstream. This is more of a county-wide catastrophic situation right now." 

He added that there is debris in the water and advised residents to stay off the water and avoid low-lying areas. 

Cayuga County Legislature Chairwoman Aileen McNabb-Coleman told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV that she was on the verge of buying additional barriers and cones due to the road closures caused by the flooding. When the sheriff's office announced its unnecessary travel advisory, it mentioned that highway crews were running out of barriers and cones to notify motorists that roads were closed. 

Those purchases weren't needed, but it still highlighted how bad conditions were, especially in the southern part of the county. 

"We have a lot of erosion issues," McNabb-Coleman said. "A lot of flooded basements and low-lying areas. A lot of floating debris. It's a lot to process and, of course, this summer ... we've had a few of these events. But this one is a big one." 

Cayuga County Legislator Mark Strong, who represents the towns of Moravia, Niles, Sempronius and Summerhill, said there are businesses and homes affected by flooding, especially in the village of Moravia. He heard reports of similar conditions throughout the county. 

Strong is among the homeowners who are trying to keep their basements dry. When the rain began Tuesday, he had to dig a ditch at his house because of the high water levels. 

"Everybody is in the same boat," he said, adding that he's had 7.7 inches of rain at his house over the past three days.

The Owasco Inlet in Moravia reached major flooding stage overnight, peaking at 10.57 feet early Thursday morning. Major flood stage for the inlet begins at 9.5 feet. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, the inlet level was down to 8.62 feet. Minor flood stage for the inlet is between 8.5 and 8 feet.

Flooding has been more common after heavy rainstorms in Cayuga County. In July, there was a flash flooding, most notably at Casowasco in Scipio. It caused extensive damage to the campground and retreat center. There were campers on the grounds at the time, but no one was injured. 

But this storm was different. There are flooded areas at Emerson Park, which is on the shore of Owasco Lake. North Brook, which runs through Hoopes Park in Auburn, is flooded. The pond at the park was close to overflowing Thursday afternoon. 

The city of Auburn notified the public of a high flow event in Owasco River due to the heavy rainfall. City officials urged the public to avoid the river. 

Throughout the county, McNabb-Coleman said crews are in the early stages of assessing the damage to make repairs. But there is also a desire to increase resiliency to protect against floods. 

"We just have to take a global look and make sure we're doing all we can to mitigate future events," she said.