The remnants of Hurricane Sandy have rolled into the area, but have not produced as much destruction as anticipated. Some areas were subject to minor flooding Tuesday, the worst being Bear Lake.
According to Chautauqua County Emergency Services Director Julius Leone, the majority of problems facing the area were related to power outages from downed trees and power lines.
"We were actually very lucky based on the weather forecast," Leone said.
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Mobile homes in the Bear Lake area of Stockton were flooded by the remnants of Hurricane Sandy.
Leone said throughout the county there were about 70 calls for storm-related damage. The majority were from the southern end of the county toward the lower end of Chautauqua Lake.
"I think we responded to 65 to 70 incidents with trees and wires, but based on the possibility of what could have happened, we were very fortunate," he said. "We did have strong wind, but it didn't last as long as it (was predicted)."
Bear Lake in Stockton was six feet over its banks due to the rain. This is the first time since 1972 the area has flooded, according to resident Art Clever, who owns Clever's Campgrounds in Bear Lake and has 18 campers. He had to elevate some of his campers to prevent the flooding of them.
"The campground next door already has three or four campers under water," he said.
Clever said residents spent Tuesday pulling out furniture, a kayak and a boat from the brush that floated away from the flooding.
In Silver Creek, a non-mandatory evacuation was issued for residents who reside next to a creek in anticipation of flooding. According to the American Red Cross, the shelter at the Silver Creek Central School opened at 11:30 p.m. Monday and closed eight hours later. It was reported no residents checked in to the shelter.
Other issues included standing water on roads, including Route 60 in the town of Pomfret, Sunset Bay and near Cassadaga Fire Department. Downed wires caused a problem in Forestville when a resident was trapped in a vehicle. The Fire Department responded to the call and was able to help the resident from the vehicle without injury.
A willow tree located at the property of Mike and Linda Probst on West Main Road in Ripley toppled over due to the wind. The almost 60-foot tree fell on a shed on the property. According to Linda, the tree is more than 100 years old. The extent of damage to the shed is unknown.
"We're sad the tree fell, but lucky it didn't hit our house," she said.
Also in Ripley at the Town Hall, standing water was a slight issue. The water seeped into some batting cages and the recreational building, according to Town Clerk Rebecca Rowe Carvallo. As of Tuesday afternoon, the water was still there but was receding, according to Carvallo, and there is no significant damage to the recreational building.
"It's slowly getting less and less," she said. "It's still under water."
The number of people affected by power outages passed 3,000. Some were still affected by the power outage Tuesday afternoon, according to National Grid Spokesman Steve Brady.
"I do know some of the harder hit areas were along the Lake Erie shoreline near Chautauqua," Brady said.
Brady said power outages were seen mostly by Lake Ontario in Niagara County and southern Chautauqua County and Cattaraugus County. As of Tuesday evening, 530 customers were still without power mainly in southern Chautauqua County compared to 1,000 customers Tuesday morning.
"More than half (of the 530) are in the town of Chautauqua and French Creek," Brady said. "There are some in Ellery and about a dozen in Lakewood (and) Busti."
All power outages were expected to be "wrapped up late Tuesday night," according to Brady.
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