On Friday evening, I left the office and was surprised to find water up to the muffler of my car near the traffic light on Clarkson Avenue.
There was a lot of water, deep enough that the vehicle behind me had to wait for the light to change before driving through, but not so deep as to be of concern.
I knew it was going to rain based on a report that had appeared on the website earlier in the day, but like many others, I had no idea what was actually going on.
Knowing that the Route 11 underpass is often a bit chaotic when it rains, I decided to take the back roads on the way back to Lisbon. This proved to be a good decision for my safety, but a missed opportunity for a journalist, as Route 11 was closed shortly after I would have passed through it.
My yard, a prime “Lisbon”-style marsh, didn’t flood any more than any other rainstorm. However, within minutes of walking through the door, I received a text from the St. Lawrence County Sheriff asking me to help spread information about a travel ban.
He informed me that the weather warning previously issued had been strengthened and that I should better spend the night at home.
I spent the rest of the night and much of the weekend updating news posts on the website to inform people of the damage caused by the severe flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Debby.
My goal was to share the best information available about road closures and areas to avoid, and to make people aware that driving on these roads is indeed dangerous.
Although this was a time-consuming task, it was relatively easy since I was able to communicate with the relevant district officials mostly via text message.
My action was relatively insignificant; my part of the country has been spared most of the madness.
But what I saw and heard from home amazed me. I saw local fire and rescue teams sharing stories on social media and spreading information to warn people about dangerous situations.
I saw an incredible number of emergency calls being reported and I know that dispatchers, law enforcement, EMTs, first responders, highway workers, firefighters, good neighbors and volunteers from across the county came together to handle what was probably the greatest disaster I have seen here since the ice storm of 1998.
It’s amazing how departments from all 32 of the county’s towns, villages and cities were able to work together with St. Lawrence County Emergency Services to handle every crisis imaginable at once. Washed out roads, fires, submerged vehicles, accidents, people caught in floodwaters, road and bridge closures, helping people with flooded basements and restoring roads to driveable condition.
I’m sure I’ll be hearing unbelievable stories for years to come. And I’ll enjoy listening to each and every one of them.
I’m glad the Governor visited St. Lawrence County on Tuesday to thank those who helped during the crisis. They truly deserve the praise.
From my vantage point, it seemed like the matter had been handled much better than anyone could have imagined.
To everyone out there who has kept us safe and worked to get us up and running again, and to everyone who will continue to do so, I have tremendous thanks and sincere appreciation.
Thank you very much.
Jimmy Lawton is news editor of North Country This Week.
