Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories

Olcott state of emergency

Submitted

Thu, Apr 20th 2017 12:10 pm

Top leaders from Niagara County's government, joined by federal, state and town officials, will converge on Olcott Harbor today and declare a state of emergency in Niagara County as rising lake levels are pushed higher heading into the weekend.

The county has been monitoring the lake level situation since late last week, when Niagara County Sheriff James R. Voutour and Community Safety and Security Committee Chairman Dave Godfrey asked boaters to observe a 500-foot "no wake zone" off the Lake Ontario shore. Infrastructure and Facilities Committee Chairman John Syracuse and Niagara County Director of Emergency Services Jonathan Schultz joined Newfane Supervisor Tim Horanburg, touring sites around Olcott Harbor late Tuesday, and, shortly after that, Voutour ordered the NCSO helicopter into the air to obtain aerial images of homes and key infrastructure threatened by the rising waters of Lake Ontario.

Public safety officials decided to begin preparations for a likely declaration of a state of emergency at a 3 p.m. Wednesday meeting at the Niagara County Public Safety Training Facility.

Hometown News

View All News