Area is soaked and water logged

MONROE-Heavy spring rains have combined with the snow melt saturated ground to produce roaring waterways and area flooding this past weekend. And while warmer weather earlier this week provided some relief, forecasters issued flood warnings Thursday as another inch of rain was expected to fall overnight, adding to already swollen rives, creeks and lakes. Although the southeast portion of Orange County fared better than many other areas, the Departments of Public Works in Tuxedo, Monroe, Harriman and Woodbury were kept busy this past weekend, monitoring river and stream levels and responding to local floods while police were busy closing submerged roadways. In the Town of Tuxedo, Warwick Brook and East Mombasha roads were closed and under 12 inches of water. The Ramapo River rose six to seven feet above normal, threatening to wash over the East Village Road Bridge while the river flooded both the Tuxedo sewage treatment plant and pumping station releasing raw sewage into the Ramapo River. Preliminary damage repair estimates exceed $135,000. Costly spring road repair will be required for road wash-outs and undermining which were common in the region. Tuxedo DPW Superintendent Joseph Tripoli said this may be an unexpected and costly expense for the community because the cost of asphalt which has risen from $40 to $60 per ton since last year. In the Village of Monroe, Mark Terrace and Dorothy Drive were both underwater with minor wash-outs occurring around the village. Flooded basements were common. Some shoppers at local supermarkets found a number of the shelves bare, especially in the produce department as delivery trucks faced delays because their routes were flooded. The Town of Woodbury evacuated four families when Woodbury Creek overflowed onto Park Avenue and flooded their homes. The Red Cross provided the displaced families with lodging for the night at the Harriman Motel. North Main Street in the Village of Harriman was closed from Saturday evening until Sunday morning when the Ramapo River exceeded its banks. Water flowed across Route 17M near Harriman Heights Road. Harriman Mayor Stephen H. Welle measured 4.5 inches of rain water on his rain gauge.