By JIMMY LAWTON

County emergency services has deployed more than 2,000 sandbags and is obtaining 10,000 more as towns along the St. Lawrence experience massive flooding.

Water along the St. Lawrence River is roughly two feet higher than normal, according to estimates from the Emergency Services Department. The high water levels and swift current are washing docks and other structures down river. The water is also reportedly eroding the shoreline.

St. Lawrence County Director of Emergency Services Director Michael LeCuyer said towns from Lisbon and west to Hammond are experiencing the most difficulty at this time. He said more than 1,100 sand bags were deployed in the Hammond area and some Lisbon residents have reported flooding in their camps.

LeCuyer said anyone with property at risk should act sooner rather than later. He said it’s hard to place sandbags once flooding has occurred. He said it’s also important to place the sand bags around the property you want to protect.

“If you place them along the shore, they are just going to wash away,” he said.

LeCuyer said he expects the flooding to continue for at least the next few days based on the current forecast, and will monitor the situation to ensure sandbags are available as needed.

He said communities along Lake Ontario are experiencing similar flooding and since the water is coming from that direction, problems here will likely continue until they are resolved there.

LeCuyer said windy weather is also contributing to the problem. He said high winds Wednesday sent the water crashing into the shoreline.

Emergency services issued the following statement regarding the flooding.

“At this time St. Lawrence County is experiencing high water levels along some of the river communities on the St. Lawrence River. The governor has declared a state of emergency for areas impacted by the high water levels. The Office of Emergency Services is working with municipal highway departments to identify properties that are being threatened with flooding conditions due to these conditions. Please contact your municipal highway departments to coordinate the delivery of sand bags.”