BRANDON, N.Y. (WCAX) – New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says $50,000 grants are now available for people who sustained damage to their homes as the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby hit the North Country.
The cleanup continues in Franklin County, New York, where nearly a dozen roads remained closed on Monday after Debby swept through the area.
“You are used to snowstorms. You are not used to this amount of water,” said Jeffrey Moll of Brandon.
Moll says his family’s home sits along Wiley Road which was damaged after the remnants of Debby overwhelmed the Little Salmon River last week.
“Everything just gets pushed to the big river down there and it just took out the whole bottom of the road,” Moll said.
Wiley Road is among a dozen that are still closed throughout the county after Friday’s storms.
“I’d say it ranks up there with being one of the worst, just because of so much damage that was done so quickly,” said Robbie Demarse, the director of Franklin County Emergency Services.
Demarse says they’ve extended the local state of emergency until September, as crews continue to assess the cost of the damage.
“We are looking at washouts. There are a couple of bridges that they are still inspecting and looking at, trying to do some damage assessment,” Demarse said. “We had some main roads, Route 11, County Route 5 that were completely shut down. So, obviously, a lot of detours needed to go in place.”
Detours that are likely to stay in place for some time, as the county scrambles to find the materials needed to rebuild.
“St. Lawrence County was heavily affected, so we are all trying to get the same kind of material to fix these roads,” Demarse said.
Fortunately, residents along Wiley Road still have a way to leave the area.
“Thankfully, it is a quick way out on this side but if this were a one-way road. You know and people live on the other side where the roads collapsed. You know, it is a concern,” Moll said.
Demarse says the county is working with FEMA to set up a temporary location where residents can get help.