Adding to the flooding woes along the Lake Ontario shoreline, the National Weather Service has issued a flood watch from 2pm Monday into the evening for much of the region. Showers and thunderstorms may produce anywhere from 1 to 2 inches of rain, and there is the possibility of severe weather early Monday evening.
Owners of homes along the Lake Ontario shoreline are still dealing with water coming over their breakwalls and sandbags, as the high lake levels and winds coming from the east and northeast pushed water onto the shore on Sunday.
A number of yards were turned into swimming pools, and Greece Police issued this advisory early Sunday evening:
Edgemere Drive between Island Cottage Rd and Dewey Ave is now closed to all but local traffic.
As a reminder, Edgemere Drive between E Manitou Rd and Lowden Point Rd continues to be closed to all but local traffic.
All motorists are encouraged to continue avoiding Edgemere Dr at all portions in the town of Greece.
Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo visited residents and businesses along Lake Ontario on a west to east trip with stops in Hamlin, Parma, Greece, Irondequoit and Webster.
She says that many residents expressed concerns about high lake levels and the need for action by the International Joint Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Dinolfo says these concerns along with the photo and video documentation will be forwarded to State and Federal officials.
“Today’s visit with residents and business owners along Monroe County’s lakefront demonstrated the need for decisive action by the International Joint Commission to reduce the level of water in Lake Ontario and for financial assistance to repair and protect shoreline property,” said Dinolfo. “Going forward, we will continue to see damage along the shores of Lake Ontario and residents should take necessary steps to protect themselves and their property.”
Officials with the IJC have said most of the problem with the high water levels is due to the heavy rain the last couple of months, and not the changes in the way the level of Lake Ontario is regulated. Changes in those plans were put into effect earlier this year.
Dinolfo says residents and businesses along the shoreline of Lake Ontario and its bays should be watchful and call 911 if a dangerous situation develops. Local fire departments are providing basement pump-outs for those impacted by flooding. Residents should also use caution around electricity if water floods or infiltrates structures.
The county executive says that throughout the past several weeks, Monroe County has provided 60,000 sandbags to town governments in Monroe County and currently has 50,000 more ready to distribute. The county has access to additional sandbags that can be brought to the area quickly, if necessary. Monroe County also secured a sandbag-filling machine and deployed it to town governments to aid in their sandbag distribution efforts.
Residents seeking sandbags should contact their town to learn more about sandbag distribution. Sandbagging guidance from the US Army Corps of Engineers can be found here.
Monroe County continues to recommend that boaters should observe a “no wake” zone within 500 feet of shore and use extreme caution when traveling on waters connected to Lake Ontario as high water has caused hazards to navigation such as sunken docks, floating logs and driftwood.
