GREENE – Emergency personnel in Greene were busy from Thursday afternoon well into the night, as a “CliffsNotes” version of the 500-year flood in late June unexpectedly played-out in late fall – with a few new plot twists of its own.

“I have never seen the water like this before,” said 1st Assistant Chief Scott Hubbard, remarking on last night’s flood waters that surrounded the Raymond Corporation. “This is unbelievable.”

Flash flooding due to three hours of heavy and steady rains forced a number of Village of Greene residents from their homes, brought down trees and power lines, and stranded several motorists in the surrounding areas. At one point, Greene Fire officials reported incidents of people who were, “In their cars and caught in the water, shouting for help.”

Firefighters, police, EMS crews and water rescue teams were spread out in all different directions on over 25 calls, going as far as Port Crane in Broome County. On county Route 9 in the Town of Greene, EMS and fire crews were stranded for four hours while rescuing trapped individuals from rushing waters. In the village, the fire department was using bucket-loaders to snag people from their flood weary houses.

Upon returning from the numerous calls, firefighters described the situations vividly. “It’s just so fast,” several said, recalling run-offs that were rushing through people’s homes. “It just came up in a flash.”

“It looked like the Colorado River going over some of those roads,” said firefighter Lou Pixley.