Steuben County residents relive last summer's flooding disaster amid heavy rains

Canisteo, N.Y. (WHAM) — People living in Steuben County are now on high alert due to significant rainfall, which has sparked worries about possible flooding.

MORE: Flash flood in Livingston County wreaks havoc on homes

William Weakland, a local resident, expressed the stress and challenges faced by the community.

"It's been pretty stressful," he said. "We're just kind of going through all this again, which we were really hoping would never happen again."

Weakland, whose house was destroyed by the floods from the tail end of Hurricane Debby during the previous summer, is now keeping an eye on the Canisteo River once more.

BACKGROUND: Steuben County residents continue to clean up following floods from remnants of Debby | Homeowners rebuild as flood recovery continues in Steuben County

He stated that they assured us the rivers were repaired and that significant efforts had been made, which I am not disputing, but I foresee this issue recurring.

The recent rains have already affected many in the area, with neighbors experiencing water damage in their homes.

"There are a lot of people who had a hard time last night, destroyed a lot of their properties, a lot of their homes. So there are a lot of people being affected again," Weakland said.

This marks the first significant scare since the flood nine months ago, according to Weakland.

"This is the first scare since the flood nine months ago," he said. "So I guess once you get about three days of rain now in this area, these rivers become a problem."

Despite the worries, Weakland noted that his family is better prepared this time around and is urging others to develop a flood plan.

He said, 'We never thought we'd find ourselves in this situation again, but here we are. We’re handling it, we’re ready, and that’s about all we can do.'

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