Another wave of severe storms passed through the area Monday evening with a reported tornado causing significant damage to homes and other structures in the town of Great Valley and dumping more rain on areas already saturated due to storms over the weekend.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning at 5:36 p.m., indicating that radar had detected cloud rotation near Ashford, and warning residents of Franklinville, Great Valley, Ischua, Lyndon, Humphrey, Ellicottville and Machias to seek shelter. That warning expired at 6 p.m.

Emergency scanner communications indicated that first responders were dealing with multiple reports of flooded roads and downed trees and power lines Monday evening, and dispatchers for both Cattaraugus and Allegany counties stated that crews were very busy dealing with the storm’s aftermath.

Another drone camera image from Jim Curtis showing damage by a reported tornado in Great Valley Monday evening.

“Everything we’re working right now is still an active incident,” said a Cattaraugus County emergency dispatcher at 7 p.m. “There’s pretty significant damage in the town of Great Valley.”

Drone camera images captured by Jim Curtis of Great Valley in an area near the intersection of Sugartown Road and Farm Market Road showed a roof appeared to have been torn off of one home while outbuildings were shattered. In another image, debris from a structure is strewn like matchsticks while a woodland on an adjacent hillside appears to have been torn apart.

Powerlines were also down throughout the area.

Several emergency vehicles can be seen along the roads nearby; there was no report of injuries as of Monday night.

The NWS also issued another severe thunderstorm warning for Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties until 10 p.m., cautioning that the area was likely to see more drenching thunderstorms continuing the heavy rain threat through the overnight hours.

In addition, a flash flood warning was issued Monday night and set to expire at 10:45 p.m. The NWS stated that more than 2.5 inches of rain had already fallen in some areas, and another 1-2 inches were possible.

The NWS already had a flood watch in effect through Tuesday in Cattaraugus and Allegany counties, advising that high rainfall rates can create hazardous conditions on roadways. Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Continue monitoring updates to the forecast by visiting weather.gov, then search for your zip code.

WATER RESCUE IN ISCHUA

The wild weather hitting the area got started Friday afternoon and evening as heavy rains swept over Cattaraugus and Allegany counties.

This photo courtesy of the Allegany Fire Department Technical Water Rescue Team shows a rescue scene in the town of Ischua Friday evening.

The Allegany Fire Department Technical Rescue Team responded Friday evening to assist the Ischua Fire Department with a water rescue due to a flood incident in that area. The team arrived on the scene and was advised people were trapped in a residence that was surrounded by rushing flood waters.

“Due to the condition of the residence a decision was made for three water technicians to make their way across the waist-deep flood waters using the triangle method,” a report on the Allegany team’s Facebook page stated. “The rescuers found two young children along with two adults within the house, all showing early signs of hypothermia.”

Upon the arrival of water teams from Westons Mills and the city of Olean, a haste-rope system was set up to pendulum a small rescue boat back and forth to rescue the occupants. After the rescue was complete, team members assisted with home welfare checks for the rest of the area and its drone team flew the area with infrared cameras and spotlight to check for any stranded victims.

Several teams from Allegany, Westons Mills, Olean, Salamanca, Gowanda, and Wellsville responded to assist in the flood event the took place across two counties.

CATTARAUGUS COUNTY OES ASSESSING DAMAGE

The Cattaraugus County Office of Emergency Services is compiling damage information from affected businesses and homeowners. The office advises property owners who sustained damage related to the flooding or high winds to:

• Take pictures of everything — before you begin to cleanup or make repairs, during cleanup and repair and after.
• Document (make a physical list, with photos if possible) all items that were damaged as well as those that you had to dispose.
• Save all written quotes, estimates and receipts for repairs.
• Contact your insurance company and for renters contact the property owner/landlord.
• Clean up and complete repairs as you are able to do so. “Do not wait for ‘funding’ to do your repairs. At this time, we have no information that funding will be available.”

Anyone wishing to share damage information with the county OES for tracking purposes, if you are able to, use the online form or call OES’s Emergency Operation Center Public Assistance Line at (716) 938-9119, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

FLOOD DEBRIS SHUTS DOWN CUBA LAKE

Due to heavy rains and flooding on Friday, which washed tree branches and trash into Cuba Lake, a travel ban on the lake was issued Saturday afternoon.

This photo from the Allegany County Sheriff’s Office shows flodod debris in Cuba Lake on Saturday.

No water vessels, including boats, jet skis, kayaks or any other watercraft are permitted to launch or travel on Cuba Lake during the duration of the order, issued at 4 p.m. Saturday by Cuba Town Supervisor Lee James and Police Chief Dustin Burch.

The ban also includes swimming and fishing on the lake.

“Several factors guided our decision, primarily the potential for physical injury and the possibility of chemicals or other substances in the water due to the flooding,” James and Burch said in a statement. “We are actively working to develop an efficient and effective plan to mitigate this issue. We understand that this may not be a popular decision, but the overall health and well-being of all those who live, work, and play in Cuba and Cuba Lake are our top priorities.

“We express our gratitude for your understanding and assistance in this matter,” they added. “We would like to thank all the agencies assisting us during this challenging process. We will keep you updated as we receive new developments. This order is enforceable by law enforcement.” 

Burch and James said they consulted with local, state, and federal partners, including the governor’s office, Allegany County Legislature Chairman Brook Harris, the Allegany County Sheriff’s Office,  Cuba Ambulance Department, Cuba Fire Department, Allegany County Emergency Services and Cattaragus County Emergency Services.

At 9 p.m.  Friday, Allegany County issued a state of emergency related to flooding and instituted a temporary travel ban in the towns of Cuba and West Almond, as well as a travel advisory in the towns of Almond, Friendship, New Hudson and Rushford.

The state of emergency and travel ban were rescinded at 9 a.m. Saturday, although a travel ban remained in effect until noon around the Cuba Lake area including Abbott Road, Rawson Road, County Road 17, County Road 20 and the North Branch Road.

“On behalf of all county residents, Chairman Harris extends his deepest thanks to our emergency responders and Public Works crews,” Allegany County stated in a press release Saturday. “Their tireless dedication and swift action have ensured the safety and well-being of our residents, and we are all very grateful and appreciative.”

Relief from inclement weather was on the way as the forecast predicts warm, dry weather until at least Thursday night. However, the chance of rain returns overnight into Friday and the weekend could bring more rain as well, according to the NWS.