February 5, 2019

Oneida County Emergency Response Team Averts Ice Jam Flooding

News Photo

Proactive Preventative Measures Prove Successful

The efforts of the emergency response team assembled by Oneida County to monitor and react to ice jams in area waterways has successfully led to the aversion of flooding.

An emergency response center was set up at the Oneida County 911 Center in Oriskany to coordinate a team of local and state officials, and heavy equipment was staged along known flooding locations over the weekend in order to prepare for potential flooding caused by ice jams.

Crews comprised of members of the Oneida County Department of Public Works and Emergency Services and Water Quality and Water Pollution Control; New York State Departments of Transportation, Environmental Conservation and Emergency Management; Village of Whitesboro and private contracting firms, worked throughout the day Monday and into Tuesday morning breaking up ice in the Sauquoit Creek in the vicinity of the CSX Bridge.

“The diligent efforts of our emergency response team and the hard work put in by crews to break up any troublesome ice has thankfully averted any serious flooding or damage to the homes and businesses that lie in known danger zones,” said Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. “I want to thank everyone involved for their vigilance and dedication, especially Gov. Cuomo for deploying resources to assist us in staying on top of this matter. While we appear to be out of the woods for now, we will continue to closely monitor the situation, and employ the same methods the next time such an issue arises.”

No ice jams or water flow issues were found by the emergency response team in Fish Creek.

Officials from the Herkimer County Office of Emergency Services, National Weather Service, Falter Construction and GHD Engineering also assisted in monitoring and responding to ice jam flooding over the past few days.

Oneida County Partners