Lee Remnants making a mess.

[millerm277]

I'm in Binghamton, and I happen to have seen a sinkhole open up while driving today, and things are already flooding. Another 4" of rain coming tonight, and NOAA just raised our flood forecasts to breaking/at the all time flood records from 2006.

http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/forecasts.php?wfo=bgm&view=1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1&toggles=10,7,8,2,9,15,6

 

[bvibert]

Not good. We're getting some more flooding in CT too... Enough with the rain already!

 

[tekweezle]

just crazy for this to happen in the interior of the country in parts not previously known to be affected by this type of weather.

there goes my retirement/disaster evac plans.....

 

[millerm277]

Water just topped the floodwalls. Putting up a few pictures in a moment.

Pictures up: http://millerm277.imgur.com/binghamton_122pm_982011_flood

 

[Breeze]

Don't forget that Irene and now the remnants of Lee, both pounded a lot of water FIRST in the southern/seaward portions of river's watersheds, and then continued to dump/pound UPSTREAM. Water flowing downriver has no where to go because the impoundments/flood plains below can be already overwhelmed. Not to mention that some of these rivers have a tidal component well upstream of their ocean discharge, so a rising tide can also create havoc.

Tekweezle-- unfortunately this has happened before: 1927, 1938, 1954 just to name a few biggies, with some still devastating and scary stuff since.


Our North East Region topography drove settlement, farming, industry, rail and road infrastructure long ago. Farms needed floodplains, Industry needed water power, the logging industry needed river flow, and ( ssh) we still harness water flow to generate needed hydro-electric power. Road and rail take the path of least resistance through topography. Entertainment/travel/tourism, vacation homes and those Big Buck$ came, with a boatload of investment. No one ever said it wouldn't bite us in the a$$ again. It has. Mother Nature is one tuff motha, we just get dumbed down until she kicks our a$$. Again.

Breeze

 

[Cornhead]

I live on the Susquehanna River in Conklin, a suburb of Binghamton, five miles upstream. We were flooded in August 2006 and were evacuated via National Guard helicopter. It was the highest I've seen the river in my 50 yrs. I thought for sure it was a once in a lifetime flood, think again. Last night we got while the getting was good and headed for my brothers place in Binghamton. His cell phone rings, It was an automated evacuation notice for the city. Oh crap. So far so good. The flood walls in the city have been topped, but no water here...yet. There has been some talk as to if they will be able to hold up. If they were to fail, I think the entire city might flood. The level of the river is higher in Binghamton than it was in 2006, but is supposed to get only as high in Conklin as it did in 06. If it gets a foot higher than before, we'll have water in our living space, The clean up of the basement / garage was more than enough grief in 2006, fingers crossed. I love living on the river 99.9% of the time, but man does that .1% suck. With a flood like this living anywhere near the river sucks.

While driving to town last night, past the geysering manhole covers, I couldn't help think how much snow 10 inches of rain would produce, 10 feet at least, I bet.

 

[deadheadskier]

good luck everyone. I know how hard it is. My little town of Newmarket, NH has had 3 '100 year floods' in the past 7 years.

 

[millerm277]

@Cornhead, where in Conklin? Theres a bunch of photos by the S. Washington St bridge of the water being at the same level on both sides of the wall (meaning it got overtopped/failed somewhere).

Parts of downtown are flooding, here's a recent aerial shot:
http://bit.ly/oWcqoC

 

[Geoff]

My rain gauge in Massholia. Just shy of 6". I recall a southern NH rain event when I lived in Portsmouth that dumped close to a foot of rain maybe 5 or 6 years ago.

I just spent $20K with the excavator last spring. Everything gravity feeds into a perimiter drain system. My sump pump didn't even kick on. I have 2 neighbors who have sump pump water that ends up in my drain system. Underneath my cottage is bone dry.

 

[Cornhead]

millerm277, that's a cool pic, I hadn't seen that one. That's the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenengo. That's probably the lowest ground in downtown Binghamton. I could see that filling up like a bathtub with water overflowing the flood walls of each river. The YMCA is located there, looks like I won't be swimming laps for a while. Their pool is in the basement, must have filled the large room half way up with silt filled water.

I live right on the river behind the Little White Church, across the street from the high school. I am amazed that the water can rise so high, and flood so much else in town, and still only flood our basement, in spite of the fact the river is only 50yds or so from the back of the house.

 

[millerm277]

I am amazed that the water can rise so high, and flood so much else in town, and still only flood our basement, in spite of the fact the river is only 50yds or so from the back of the house.

Glad to hear it. I'm north of Riverside Dr on the West Side, so I didn't have to worry.