Binghamton Susquehanna Flooding Part 3

aNext I went across the 201 bridge again into JC. I went via Floral to get around the flooding on the first half mile of Riverside and then cut back across to Riverside and tried to get as far down as I could. I got to Riverside and Front St intersection, passing a lot of people evacuating on the way. This intersection was the farthest you could get.

memorial bridge, covered in water

Two riverside houses at the very end of front street

A few hundred feet down Riverside Drive is a large apartment complex. When I was in this area they were in the process of evacuating it, with only a few dozen or so people left in the building. They were all leaving on this rickety old 'bridge' made of random debris and two by fours that spanned about 6 feet between the back entrance and dry land. I earned my Boyscout badge by grabbing a box some woman was trying to carry over so she get over easier, and ended up spending about twenty minutes carrying stuff that was being salvaged and helping a few people get across the bridge. It was one of the best experiences of the day.
I got a call from my friend Kevin who lived about a mile away in Johnson City. They were away from the floodwaters, but the rain had flooded their basement. They had no hot water, and it was likely that they would lose power as there were rumors of cutting power to the west side. I went over to their house for a little while to talk to them as they got their stuff out. He has a bunch of pictures as well. I guess they went up Front street to the river walk, around ten this morning when the waves were just starting to crest over the flood walls. That must have been a sight.
Here is a video he sent me from Front street looking towards the river and downtown.

On the way back to campus I saw that the waters were getting closer to Riverside Drive in places

Such a pretty house too

As people were telling me, the Oakdale mall suffered major flooding too. Even though it is over a mile from the river, it is located at the bottom of its own little gully so it got demolished by runoff. Here is another facebook picture of the parking lot.

This picture above, and the next several below are from the Binghamton flood page on facebook. They are not mine, but I want to include them to cover some of the places I did not go.

Struble Rd

The event center, housing over 1800 people tonight.

This is a great picture

Conkling Highschool

Broome County Veterans Arena

Later at night I went down the west side of the parkway, past walmart. I would show you a picture but its just completely dark. You know its a disaster when the walmart is silent. I went into Vestal, and tried to get to Endicott but the road leading to the bridge was flooded. I went back and visited some people in the event center to help out, and finally headed home.
Here are some resources to read more. I would definitely suggest joining the facebook group, there are some unbelievable pictures.
Binghamton
Aerial shots
Floodwater receding
Evacuations- 20000
Downtown Binghamton pictures
Governor Cuomo to Residents:Get out now
 Flood Info and Media FB
Wilkes Barre
Everything else

At the end of the day, keep these people in mind. There very well may be someone out there important to you that's been affected.
Update:
"- A letter from President Magrath

As I’m sure you know by now, tragic flooding has once again struck the Southern Tier as it did just five years ago. This time, the floods affected a much broader geographical region and displaced even more families than it did in 2006. As the flood waters begin to recede, we are left once again with the devastating aftermath and the opportunity to reflect upon how Binghamton University and the Southern Tier have become partners, in both good times and bad.

This morning, I had the opportunity to tour the emergency operations centers at the Events Center and West Gym. Of all the lessons learned on a university campus, none has quite the impact of the one playing out there right now. What I observed impressed me so deeply that I wanted to take a moment to share what I saw there today. Faculty, staff and students were filling plates for the evacuees and setting up cots for their temporary residence on the gym floor. Community members — some of whom were displaced from the flood themselves — worked diligently to maintain a clean, organized facility and provide toiletries for people who no longer have the luxury of showering in their own homes. Volunteers from the American Red Cross and state and federal agencies worked in unison to provide essential services to more than 1,800 individuals. Meanwhile, supplies arrived by truck and by car, some of which were then quickly reloaded onto two Blackhawk helicopters, which thundered away to deliver them to another nearby shelter that had become a virtual island, inaccessible by other means.

Looking over rows and rows of families lying on cots, some thoughts came to mind.  While no one is happy by any means, they are all content that their essential needs are being met. Evacuees flash a friendly smile as a volunteer delivers diapers or a blanket. A dozen kids romp on each other with swords made of tied balloons, while a physics professor performs magic tricks. The Harpur Jazz Ensemble played from above to lighten the mood across the Events Center and finished to earnest applause from the audience. There were, indeed, many bright spots like this among the darkened skies.

Although Binghamton’s main campus was largely spared in the flooding, the University Downtown Center suffered significant damage and will be out of commission for an unknown amount of time. Classes have already been cancelled for two days as well as through the weekend, and there will be countless inconveniences as students, faculty and administration recalibrate their course schedules, classrooms are moved and facilities are occupied by evacuees or re-purposed to support the recovery efforts. 

With that in mind, I ask for your continued patience as we continue meeting the needs of our community. Though the timeline and challenges before us may be somewhat opaque, we expect to begin tracking back toward our primary academic mission early next week. I’d also like to extend my gratitude and admiration to those folks — you know who you are — who have contributed to this colossal endeavor in ways for which I cannot compensate. It is at these moments that I am both humbled and proud to serve as president here. And I am proud of the individuals — from both campus and community — who work tirelessly to support the needs of the Southern Tier. It is at these moments when the proof is truly in the pudding. 

Cordially,

C. Peter Magrath"

Update: A few fires have broken out across the Triple Cities area as well. The good news is that the flood waters isolate them somewhat so hopefully they have not been spreading. The bad news is that the fire department can't reach the houses due to the water so there is not much that can be done right now. If anyone has any information about more current developments, contact me and I will post them.