By Fred Stabbert III
HORTONVILLE – Localized flooding from last week’s storm left many bridges chock full of debris – and the Sullivan County DPW was hard at work Friday trying to clear the tangled trees.
“The storm was very localized where it seemed to hit,” Sullivan County DPW Commissioner Robert Meyer said. “We had the worst flooding in Kohlertown, Roscoe and Hortonville.”
Meyer said, “North Branch was bad also. We had some specific bridges which had debris jammed under them.
“We were very fortunate. Our storms have been very localized and not a county-wide event,” he said.
Between 2 and 4 inches of rain fell last Tuesday, causing some severe flooding in Youngsville, Kohlertown and Hortonville.
The western Sullivan County hamlets were quick to respond, as business owners put up sandbags and local fire departments and road crews helped homeowners pump out basements and tried to keep the roads safe.
“The thing is this was a relatively minor storm,” Meyer said. “I would be very surprised if it (the storm damage) is declared an event. The work to remedy the situation will come out of our budget.”
Meyer said the damage occurred from consecutive rainstorms, which weakens stream banks, making the second storm even more damaging.
“During the second storm, everything starts to come down,” Meyer said.