BY PAUL MITCHELLNorth Country This Week

CANTON - Town and village officials will spend the next few days assessing the flooding damage that raised havoc at more than 100 houses and businesses, flooded Willow Island and Bend in the River Park, washed out the road leading to the Partridge Run Golf Course and the United Helpers senior living facility, while causing enough damage to close Taylor Park for the summer season.

Mayor Michael Dalton noted that five pumps at the station near the Canton Fire Department that directs runoff water to the lagoon became inoperable, escalating the fight against flooding from an estimated 6.1 inches of rainfall that fell on the village from the aftermath of Hurricane Debby.

The mayor said the fire department handled at least 110 service calls.

“I’ve never seen it so bad. I was absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of water. There was trouble throughout the village,” said Dalton. “We tried to help the people as best as we could.”

“We know that many households and businesses are dealing with extensive damage and there is much to clean and repair. We are sorry for the difficulties many of you are facing,” stated a village press release.

The village is expecting federal disaster and hazard mitigation response dollars likely to become available over the next few years. The Village is preparing to access these funds so that they can repair systems damaged by the storm in the short term and, in the longer term, improve them so the village can better withstand future storms.

“To that end, we need to document the losses to our community. It is important that all Village residents track expenses and losses incurred as a result of this storm. Keep track of the location, damage type and cause, and estimates of repair and replacement. The Village will be setting up a way to report this information in the coming days. We will also share any information about how private property owners may be able to access assistance as that information becomes available.

The release reminds residents to contact the Canton Fire Department via 911 or the Emergency Operations Center at 315-229-3950 if assistance is needed. 

“We are very grateful to the first responders and public works staff who continue to support the Village. Thank you to all the neighbors’ helping neighbors,” the statement read.

Dalton said the Canton Fire and Rescue were assisted by departments from Lisbon, Pyrites, Morley, and Rensselaer Falls.

On the town side, Supervisor Mary Ann Ashley said she is grateful that there were no fatalities related to the storm and praised the work of Town Highway Superintendent Steven Smith and his crew. Ashley also informed town residents that there will be a Self Damage Tool form on the website to complete as the county is collecting data on the damages.

"This storm impact created substantial damage to the town roads. Right after the storm let up, Highway Superintendent Steven Smith closed seven roads. The crew members have worked tirelessly and are making good progress in fixing them so residents can travel safely,” stated Ashley. “We appreciate all the work that has been put in by State Departments, Assemblymember Scott Gray, St. Lawrence County Emergency Services, Volunteer Fire Departments, and First Responders. A statement was made that we are "North Country Strong" which is exactly how the North Country operates. I am grateful that we take care of each other.”  

Assemblymember Gray indicated he is working on getting the Department of Finance Services set up at SUNY Potsdam to assist with insurance claims that may not be covered,” noted Ashley.

“I'd also like to mention that overall, we are grateful there were no lives lost in this storm.  People were wise in following the travel ban and staying out of harm's way. As we saw, water does a lot of damage when it rises like this due to the rain. We all must continue to use common sense when the roads are flooded,” she continued.

In a release from Governor Kathy Hochul’s office, St. Lawrence County residents can apply for grants up to $50,000 to help with Hurricane Debby storm damage.

Access the form at https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=6rhs9AB5EE2M64Dowcge50PCUkzUgH1PsaPvJo38hUBUNDRSU1JIMDg1RFZITjNLMFM0MEJFQlZDSi4u

New York Homes and Community Renewal is launching an emergency repair program for homeowners in St. Lawrence Counties impacted by the storm. Additionally, staff from the New York State Department of Financial Services will be deployed to impacted communities to support residents and businesses with financial services questions. As these state-based resources are deployed, disaster recovery experts from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services have begun working with their local counterparts to assess damage statewide in order to determine the state’s ability to request federal disaster relief resources from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration, the release stated.