Syracuse, N.Y. -- The National Weather Service has declared a flash flood emergency for Steuben County, the highest level of warning.
“Life-threatening flash flooding” is happening, the weather service said. “This is a particularly dangerous situation. Seek higher ground now!”
The county has declared a state of emergency and ordered residents to avoid all unnecessary travel. County officials have also ordered residents of the hamlet of Jasper to evacuate because the floods have damaged propane tanks, which are now leaking.
In several sections of the county, residents were trapped in their homes, the weather service said, including three people in one house in the town of Cameron.
Several vehicles are trapped in the water, and at least one water rescue of people stuck in a car is underway near Troupsburg, just north of the Pennsylvania state line, according to a weather service report.
“There are multiple roads that are unpassable and emergency responders are handling dozens of calls,” the county Office of Emergency Management said.
READ MORE: Debby dropped more than 5 inches in Steuben County
Shortly after 3 p.m., Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency.
As of about 4 p.m., more than 50,000 customers were without power across Upstate New York, according to National Grid and NYSEG. That included more than 5,000 in Onondaga County and 3,500 in Steuben County.
Nearly 4 inches of rain -- more than a typical month’s worth -- has fallen in just six hours in parts of the county as the remnants of tropical storm Debby push through Upstate New York.
Roads are flooded across Steuben and Ontario counties. Weather service reports indicate the multiple roads are flooded in the city of Canandaigua and several communities between Canandaigua and Seneca lakes.