High lake levels combined with relentless rain and winds continue to eat up the local shoreline along Lake Ontario.
On Friday, May 5, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, State Senator Robert Ortt, and representatives from the offices of Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Chris Collins toured the south shoreline of Lake Ontario from Lyndonville in Orleans County east to the Town of Hamlin in Monroe County.
During the tour, the group met with officials from both counties, town supervisors, highway superintendents, business owners and homeowners to gain first-hand knowledge of the dire conditions faced by those who live and work along the lake.
Assemblyman Hawley said the devastation along the Lake Ontario shoreline has reached monumental proportions. He urged Governor Cuomo to petition the International Joint Commission (IJC) to release water from the Moses-Saunders Dam to lower water levels in the lake, and also called on the governor to send more resources to the area.
“Seeing it firsthand is absolutely astounding,” Hawley said. “This is pure and utter chaos.” He noted homes have been ruined, businesses forced to close and travel restricted.
“Something must be done immediately to aid the thousands of residents affected by this havoc, and our community is going to need a lot of help from the state to recover,” Assemblyman Hawley said.
In its weekly Great Lakes Water Level Update on May 5, the Army Corps of Engineers said Lake Ontario has risen 17 inches in the last month and is 22 inches above its long-term average level for the month of May. The Army Corps predicts Lake Ontario will rise two more inches during the month of May.
A home on Shore Acres in Hamlin is completely flooded. K. Gabalski photo
