by John Carney, a number of donations for schools and residents are available at the AMVETS post in Silver Creek.

Editor’s note: This story is being republished from our Aug. 16 edition. By TIM LATSHAW OBSERVER Assistant News Editor There are some height records the region can freely celebrate. Jennifer Stuczynski’s pole vault of 16.14 feet is one that quickly comes to mind. Other records, however, many wish had never happened. On Monday, Aug. 10, the height of Cattaraugus Creek reached 13.47 feet at the National Weather Service’s Gowanda recording site. It was the fourth-highest crest ever officially recorded in the history of the creek and the highest in 30 years, contributing to one of the worst disasters the village has ever faced. The weather behind the recent flooding events that hit Gowanda, Silver Creek and other areas is extremely rare, according to Mike Pukajlo of the National Weather Service (NWS) Buffalo Station. It was a matter of the wrong conditions coming together at the wrong time.