The town of Hunter declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, July 29, after flash floods left multiple roads impassable and forced some residents to boil their water.
The emergency, in effect for at least one day, followed rainfall that caused “significant flooding, hazardous roadway conditions, road closures, and damage to public infrastructure throughout portions of the town of Hunter,” said Supervisor Sean Mahoney in a Facebook post Wednesday morning.
Mahoney urged residents not to travel unless necessary, and warned them not to drive through flooded roadways or around barricades.
“Doing so endangers lives and interferes with emergency operations,” he said.
Mahoney said residents in the village of Hunter who use municipal water should boil it as a precaution in case flooding affects the water system. He said village residents would be notified when the water is tested and approved as safe to drink.
The village of Tannersville issued a boil water notice as well, Mahoney said in a subsequent Facebook post Wednesday afternoon.
Emergency shelters opened Wednesday for anyone in need at Greenville High School, 4976 Route 81 in Greenville, and at Hunter-Tannersville Elementary School, 7794 Main St. in Hunter, according to a Facebook post by Greene County Government.
Some roads in the village were underwater, Mahoney said. The intersection of state Route 23A and state Route 214, heading toward Lanesville, was also flooded.
Parts of Hunter had recorded nearly 8 inches of rain as of 11 a.m. Wednesday, according to Precip, a precipitation-tracking app that uses radar and quality-controlled gauge data.
Platte Clove was hardest hit, with more than 7.8 inches. Tannersville followed with 7.29 inches and Elka Park with 7.24. Lanesville and the village of Hunter each got about 6 inches.
Elsewhere in The Overlook’s coverage area, Shandaken had heavy rain, with about 6.5 inches near Phoenicia and Chichester. Northern Saugerties totals were similar: 6.81 inches reported in West Camp and 7.18 in Asbury.
Parts of Woodstock were also hit hard. Flooding and fallen trees closed Sickler Road between Lake Hill and Willow as of 1 p.m., the town Highway Department said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
Roads with “extreme water issues” included Coldbrook Road, where a downed tree left one lane open; Wittenberg Road, a thoroughfare owned by Ulster County; and Cooper Lake Road. Chestnut Hill Road, Hutchin Hill Road, Silver Hollow Road, and Van Wagner Road had reopened.
Willow recorded the most rain in Woodstock, at 6.64 inches. Lake Hill had 5.67 inches, and central Woodstock along Tinker Street reported 4.4 inches.
Water covered a stretch of Wittenberg Road near Shultis Road on Wednesday morning, with a cone on either side. Some drivers pushed through the rushing water; others turned around.
Windham’s rainfall totals were lower, though parts of the town’s southern edge near Hensonville and Maplecrest reported more than 6.4 inches.
Eastern Greene County was hit the hardest in the region, with South Cairo and parts of the town of Catskill recording nearly 10 inches of rain as of Wednesday. Greene County also declared a state of emergency Wednesday, closing nonemergency offices, including the Department of Human Services, Veteran’s Center, and the county Mental Health building in Cairo.
Lexington Supervisor Robert Riccardella declared a state of emergency around noon, saying County Route 13A was flooded and part of County Route 13 in North Lexington collapsed and was closed.
Greene County reported the following road hazards as of Wednesday, urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel and to never drive through flooded roads or around barricades.
In Hunter, floodwater covered Main Street at Glen Avenue, state Route 23A at state Route 296, Route 16 at Spruce Street, and Schribner Hollow Road near 512. State Route 214 at state Route 23A and Route 83 at state Route 214 were also flooded, with possible damage to the roadway.
In Jewett, state Route 23C between Mallory Road and Schribner Road was flooded and damaged, and Route 13 between Route 52 and state Route 23C was missing a culvert.
In Lexington, the lower section of state Route 23A near the Mosquito Point Bridge was flooded, with emergency traffic only permitted to use H. Trusdell Sr. Road as a detour. Route 2 was partially closed for construction.
A flash flood warning was in effect until 3:30 p.m. for eastern Greene, northeastern Ulster, and northwestern Columbia counties, said Luke Winand, a National Weather Service forecaster. A broader flood watch was in effect through 8 p.m.
Mud and downed wood cover state Route 23A. the village’s Main Street, at Glen Avenue in Hunter on Wednesday, after a clogged culvert sent a swollen stream onto the road. 
Debris fills the culvert at Glen Avenue in Hunter, where a backed-up stream flooded state Route 23A, the village’s Main Street, on Wednesday. 
The Schoharie Creek runs high in Hunter. 
The Schoharie Creek runs high in Hunter.
Rain would ease as the day went on, he said.
“We’re looking to see probably another one to two inches in that area throughout today,” he said. “There’s definitely still some rain left, but the rainfall rates are going to gradually taper off as the day goes on.”
Winand urged drivers to take precautions.
“If you come across a flooded roadway, don’t try to cross it,” he said. “It’s incredibly difficult to try to estimate the depth of water. Even if it doesn’t look deep, it can be fairly deep. Only a foot of water can sweep away a small car, it’s only six inches to sweep away a person if they’re going through it.”
Winand said he expected conditions to ease by Thursday.
“We could have some lingering showers into tomorrow, but we’re not looking at a lot of accumulation in those areas,” he said.
Photos by Roy Gumpel/The Overlook.
Connor Greco is a staff reporter for The Overlook covering Windham, Hunter, and surrounding Greene County communities. Send correspondence to connor@theoverlooknews.com.
