Lee flooded my little NY town this morning, daughter is trapped in her school...

[JustJen]

Can I please skip the formalities of "long time, no see" and all that and just ask that you all, anyone willing to send some good vibes in the direction of my little town in NY state near Binghamton, to please do so. My daughter is at her first day of elementary school and shortly after the kids got to school the bridges on either side washed out, and now the Susquehanna river is coming up the road the school is on. My husband has killed two vehicles already this morning trying to get to her. The local newspaper's editor responded to an email I sent by interviewing my school officials who confirm that although other districts (dozens of them in fact) around us all sent their kids home, her school cannot do so safely at this time due to extensive flooding and road washouts.
https://www.pressconnects.com/article/20110907/NEWS01/110907030/O-holding-students-school

So.. if you please... can you send positive thoughts my way. I really am missing my little girl right bout now.

thanks, dtf... stay safe..


edit -- even though I was told not to, I tried to get down the road earlier.. but this intersection is now nothing but debris and a muddy river of torn up asphalt...

https://iwitness.weather.com/_Lee-destroys-road-ApalachinNY/photo/14950343/148597.html

[ariich]

Bloody hell, that's awful! Sending positive thoughts your way, hope you can get to her real soon!

[JustJen]

Thanks ariich... I have been staying calm all day but now it's time for her to be dismissed soon and all over the tv they keep saying how terrible it is around me, and now the National Guard was called in to the town just one mile from here to help us...
I'm just beside myself without my child. It's not right that she's not here...


edit - oh and an incident in a lowlying trailer park surrounded by creeks and hills where 30 officers were called in but nobody else has been allowed all afternoon... I keep wondering if the whole place was buried in a mudslide or something...



(We also have a river in my side yard where there's never been water before --
https://iwitness.weather.com/_Lee-flash-flooding-Binghamton/photo/14948236/148597.html

and a waterfall or five in the backyard where it has fallen into a brand new stream covering my patio --
https://iwitness.weather.com/_Lee-flooding-Apalachin-NY-2/photo/14948890/148597.html

and we definitely never had this much water jus standing around the house and garage like a moat...
https://iwitness.weather.com/_More-Lee-flooding-Binghamton/photo/14948244/148597.html )

*sigh*

[JustJen]

He just got home with her. He drove as close to the school as possible then walked thru water up to his knees then went up a hill where someone offered him a ride to the school. Then he and my daughter got a ride as close to the jeep as possible, then walked back through the water together to the jeep. they're wet but home.

The high school just announced they have to have the kids stay overnight because there is just no way in or out for htem or for staff. i think the elementary school will have to do the same. I'm so glad we got her out in time... things are getting worse and worse according to the weather channel.

Many thanks for the positive thoughts.

[ZBomber]

Positive thoughts headed toward you and your community, Jen. Glad to hear that she is back safe and sound!

[black_biff_stadler]

*just prayed* hope all turns out okay.

[JustJen]

Thanks

The wall street journal just did an article about it.
https://online.wsj.com/article/APdc1dfd6c4b504788a939305295cabf58.html

glad I called the editor and started the ball rolling

Houston chronicle picked it up, too.. how strange.

https://www.chron.com/news/article/NY-school-district-holding-children-amid-floods-2159293.php

[JustJen]

Fact is, the high schoolers are being held overnight still because they can't be gotten out. My boys would be among them but my oldest son drove to school today (today is the first day of school for the area, and this happens!) so they drove home just in time to miss the issues. I al so worried for the elementary school children who didn't make it out though.

The school only has one level, but I am hoping they think to get the kids up on the stage to buy themselves an extra 5 feet if they need it, God forbid.

Right now thunder is shaking my whole house, what is next??

[bosk1]

Sounds awful.  I hope the kids can get out okay. 

Houston chronicle picked it up, too.. how strange.

Maybe it's just because they know rain storms, so they're trying to give your town some cred by running it. 

[JustJen]

Um.. wer're a mile from here. https://www.pressconnects.com/article/20110907/NEWS01/110907046/Little-Meadows-residents-urged-evacuate

Urged to evacuate... so glad we don't have to go through that, but this is crazy.

My son's friend woke to find one of his two pet baby sheep drowned in his own backyard.

Not something I've gone through before quite like this.

[JustJen]

Sounds awful.  I hope the kids can get out okay. 

Houston chronicle picked it up, too.. how strange.

Maybe it's just because they know rain storms, so they're trying to give your town some cred by running it. 

Or maybe they're jealous and running anythin with the word "rain" right about now.

Seriously though, I hope all the kids end up alright. Little Meadows kids are being taken to red cross shelters straight from school because the schools are cut off from the homes. I very much hope no little ones have to sleep alone without electricity in a flooding rainstorm tonight. This is the first day of school, too. Geezz.

Plus they'd miss the America's Got Talent results show.

[bosk1]

Um.. wer're a mile from here. https://www.pressconnects.com/article/20110907/NEWS01/110907046/Little-Meadows-residents-urged-evacuate

Urged to evacuate... so glad we don't have to go through that, but this is crazy.

My son's friend woke to find one of his two pet baby sheep drowned in his own backyard.

Not something I've gone through before quite like this.

Clicked on the link to check it out.  Thank goodness for the popup window telling me the City Council and Town Board meetings were canceled.  I wasn't sure.

[JustJen]

Um.. wer're a mile from here. https://www.pressconnects.com/article/20110907/NEWS01/110907046/Little-Meadows-residents-urged-evacuate

Urged to evacuate... so glad we don't have to go through that, but this is crazy.

My son's friend woke to find one of his two pet baby sheep drowned in his own backyard.

Not something I've gone through before quite like this.

Clicked on the link to check it out.  Thank goodness for the popup window telling me the City Council and Town Board meetings were canceled.  I wasn't sure.

Your ever ruling presence is detectable through every medium. Your power is defined by pop ups.

[King Postwhore]

I also here some of eastern PA is getting hit hard.  7 inches of rain in one day is unreal.  I hope everything will be ok Jen.

[Dr. DTVT]

Sounds like they need to build some Bridges In The Sky



I'm so sorry...I was just trying to bring some levity to the situation.

[JustJen]

Thanks so far all is ok here at home but our community is going to be in ruins for quite some time i'm afraid. the river's flood stage is 18 ft. River currently is at 21 ft. Expected crest level is 33 ft. overnight.

Not pretty. They said in 2006 *that* was a 100-year flood.
Now they say this will be worse than 2006. So what's this, a 200- year flood?? yeesh

[lonestar]

Im glad your kids home safe.

[JustJen]

Thanks, me too I hope everyone else is alright so far.

The Weather Channel is doing nothing but talking about us tonight.. unnerving. "Binghamton" .. "Broome county"... "worst since 1972"... "Susquehanna river"...

that'd be us. fingers crossed.

[emindead]

I U, JEN! Glad everything went well!

[MetalJunkie]

Dear Christ, that's bad. I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said, but I hope everything takes care of itself quickly. You'll be in my prayers, Jen.

[JustJen]

<3 Jim Cantore just said "the worst is not over by a long shot" for my area, unfortunately
 (he's the Weather Channel "The Man" dude, IMHO).

[JustJen]

Dear Christ, that's bad. I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said, but I hope everything takes care of itself quickly. You'll be in my prayers, Jen.

You just keep on surviving there in OK. I worry about you there in tornado country!
My house is okay and my kids are accounted for at this time so now its just a matter of how hard hit my community is. So far we have electricity and everything so... *fingers crossed* that the people in areas ordered to evacuate DO SO!

[MetalJunkie]

Dear Christ, that's bad. I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said, but I hope everything takes care of itself quickly. You'll be in my prayers, Jen.

You just keep on surviving there in OK. I worry about you there in tornado country!
My house is okay and my kids are accounted for at this time so now its just a matter of how hard hit my community is. So far we have electricity and everything so... *fingers crossed* that the people in areas ordered to evacuate DO SO!

The tornadoes all passed me by this season. I have another six months or so to relax.

I hope you've stocked up on all necessities? Food? Water? Boat?

[JustJen]

Dear Christ, that's bad. I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said, but I hope everything takes care of itself quickly. You'll be in my prayers, Jen.

You just keep on surviving there in OK. I worry about you there in tornado country!
My house is okay and my kids are accounted for at this time so now its just a matter of how hard hit my community is. So far we have electricity and everything so... *fingers crossed* that the people in areas ordered to evacuate DO SO!

The tornadoes all passed me by this season. I have another six months or so to relax.

I hope you've stocked up on all necessities? Food? Water? Boat?

Hilariously, we have a boat. Even funnier, it WAS a few feet from the lake that is just across the driveway from us... by morning I suspect it will be floating someplace out in it. *d'oh*

We do have a couple of cases of bottled water and a generator and if it were to get cold we have a wood fireplace, but we don't expect that to happen. Our dog was just diagnosed with diabetes and we have to give her insulin shots twice a day but we have enough of her medicine and it can go without refrigeration if need be, so I think everyone should be alright.

Its just a matter of leaving home and looking around at what I'm used to and not finding it that kinda concerns me now.

[ReaPsTA]

Glad to hear your daughter is okay.  Hope you're able to take care of your family through the night.

[JustJen]

Thanks Reapsta As long as my family is accounted for, I know it's all good. We live very high up on a hill so the water diverts around us and into the lake out front,  which will never rise to our front door. 

Back in 2006 I went out and took photos and posted them on dt.net. I have them in photobucket.. may as well post them because by morning it's expected to be worse this time.

Here's what I saw as I was driving down the road into town, just before hitting my brakes. Hard.



Then we got closer and pulled off to the right -



Then walked up to inspect the curious appearance of the Susquehanna River that somehow crossed Route 17 E and W and jumped Rte 434 to get to us:







Sure do hope those folks evacuated by now... it's already dark and the river should crest at 33 ft tonight sometime (flood stage is 18 ft).

[JustJen]

PS my daughter's school where she was trapped today for a bit is only about a block up the road from these photos. Which is why I was panicking, since it's supposed to be/get higher than this tonight.

[ReaPsTA]

Wow.  And to think people freaked out about Irene.

Also, for what it's worth, it was really courageous of your husband to do what he did.  That's what a dad should be.

[JustJen]

Wow.  And to think people freaked out about Irene.

Also, for what it's worth, it was really courageous of your husband to do what he did.  That's what a dad should be.

You know, you're right.

I give him such little credit sometimes. So quick to give him shit sometimes.

He was on the way out to do other things, or try, and he saw how upset I was and determined to bring her to me, and did it.

Good man.

edit - it blows my mind that the weather channel is practically just doing nothing but my area tonight, and the areas just around me.

When you see hte map andthey're showing where the heaviest rain accumulations will be, and the green gradually grows orange then there's a bright red blip -- that's my town. 15+ inches of rain...   this is sick

[hefdaddy42]

Sorry to hear about all that, Jen, but I'm grateful that your daughter is safe and sound.

Prayers and love.

[JustJen]

Thanks Hef, and I love your new hairdo. You look like Wham!'s lost third member.

[hefdaddy42]

Thanks Hef, and I love your new hairdo. You look like Wham!'s lost third member.

I usually refrain from talk of Wham! and members.

[JustJen]

Thanks Hef, and I love your new hairdo. You look like Wham!'s lost third member.

I usually refrain from talk of Wham! and members.

That's okay, we can see it in your sultry stare.


So, hey, today I dropped my camera and can't take anymore flood photos. how's that for timing? gah

[millahh]

You ok up there?  Looking at the map, you're still getting hit pretty hard.

Hoping for the best...

[JustJen]

You ok up there?  Looking at the map, you're still getting hit pretty hard.

Hoping for the best...

Pounded. the floodwalls in downtown binghamton will be topped and then the dams are expected to be breached after that. my family is ok up here on the hill in apalachin but my hometown (vestal/binghamton) is absolutely not. we probably won't be able to get out and about tomorrow at all either. Gov. Cuomo is coming to tour Binghamton tomorrow.

flood stage in one area of binghamton is 14 foot and the river won't crest till more than 26 feet.. gonna get ugly.

they say this is a record for us. all time record. which means we don't necessarily know what to expect or how to handle it. if my power goes out here at home then i'll text nick to give him updates against his will i guess.