BY PAUL MITCHELLNorth Country This Week

CANTON - Long-time Canton Fire chief and current first assistant chief Robert Crowe has seen a lot over the years but Friday’s rain storm ranks right up there in terms of devastation.

“The remnants of Hurricane Debby brought unprecedented rain to the Canton area on Friday August 9th. Over 5 inches of rain were received over the course of 4 hours, resulting in flooding the likes of which have not been previously seen here in anyone’s memory,” stated Crowe.

The Canton Fire Department received 85 calls for assistance in just the first 10 hours of the storm and another 20 calls over the following 14 hours. Twenty-four members responded and would be out on calls for more than 12 hours before getting a break.

“It was obvious from the start that the need for assistance would rapidly outpace our abilities to respond to all the calls and mutual aid was requested,” Crowe remarked.

On the first night of the storm, assistance in the form of manpower and pumping equipment was provided by Morley Fire, Pyrites Fire, Lisbon Fire, Heuvelton Fire, Ogdensburg Fire, Waddington Fire, Rensselaer Falls Fire, Madrid Fire, Brier Hill Fire, and Morristown Fire Departments. 

“These departments, along with Canton Fire personnel responded to a variety of calls from flooding, downed trees and wires, washed out roadways, vehicles trapped in water, motor vehicle accidents, and persons needing assistance leaving their residences. Most mutual aid resources were released by midnight on the first night,” he continued.

Crowe recounted that on Saturday morning, the department was alerted for a family who needed rescuing from a camp on Taylor Park Road. 

“The Grasse River had risen significantly overnight, trapping them in the camp they were renting. A Swift Water Rescue Team from the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Response was requested. This team had been deployed the previous night and was staying in Canton,” Crowe noted. “They had responded to incidents in North Lawrence and Gouverneur that night. The team, made up of members from NYS Fire, NYS DEC and the NYS OEIC, responded quickly to Taylor Park. They were able to rescue the family safely and without incident. Canton Fire members went from the water rescue to the Route 11 North underpass to assist the NYS DOT in cleaning the mud out of the underpass so it could be inspected and reopened.”

Mutual aid assistance was received from DeKalb Fire, Morley Fire, and Rensselaer Falls Fire for this detail. Fire crews along with NYS DOT employees were able to clear the roadway in about an hour and a half and ready it for reopening.

“We would like to thank all our mutual aid partners for their assistance as well as the 911 dispatchers and the SLC Office of Emergency Services. We would also like to thank Atlantic Testing Laboratories who provided six pumps and personnel and worked tirelessly alongside fire personnel in dewatering operations. We would like to thank our Village partners, the Canton PD and Canton DPW. We work seamlessly with these two agencies for the betterment of the residents of the Village. We encourage residents to look back at this rain event and make a plan for what they will do in the future when a similar event arises. Check your sump pumps, purchase new ones if you don’t have one, check your insurance policies to see what they will and will not cover.”

“We thank the citizens for their patience. With such a large number of calls, we weren’t able to get to everyone immediately but we did our best to make sure that we got to everyone who requested assistance,” Crowe concluded.