'My backyard looked like a pond' Tonawanda neighbors deal with flooded homes

NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. — Rather than children playing and TV's blaring, Katie Craine’s basement in North Tonawanda is empty.

That’s because on Friday, she received a call from her neighbor advising her to check for flooding, and her daughters went downstairs to find water up to their calves. 

Craine said her street and yard were virtually unrecognizable.

“My backyard looked like a pond,” Craine said. “There was just so much water. That’s why I kind of want to stay at work. I didn't know what to do.”

Her home’s flooding was a result of rain and warmer temperatures this weekend, which caused nearly two feet of snow dumped on North Tonawanda over the past two weeks to melt. 

Tonawanda Creek was under a flood warning for over two days as a result, and flooding impacted homes like Craine’s. However, she wasn’t alone.

“We got about 50 phone calls,” said Reanna Richner, owner of Simply the Best Cleaning and Restoration Services. “It actually got to a point where I had to put a message on my machine to leave a message or send a text. It just kept going.”

Richner said her business sees situations like the one that occurred in Craine’s basement after a buildup of snow and rain too large for the sewers to handle. She remembered it happening once before in North Tonawanda about a decade ago. 

Her team spent the past few days removing and drying all of the contents from Craine’s basement and returned Monday for a check in to ensure that contractors could then go in and make further repairs. 

“When water damage happens like this, you want to go quick,” Richner said. “The quicker, the better. Mold can set in within 24 to 48 hours.”

Craine, who is now out $3,500 said she’s happy she was able to resolve the problem for now but homes she doesn’t have to again in the future. 

“I know that the city is working on infrastructure, which is like a whole other issue,” she said. “I hope the city can take care of their end.”