WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWNY) – A month after flash floods caused severe damage in Lowville, the community has been hit hard again.

The National Weather Service reports that the village received 3.74 inches of rain during Monday’s storm.

The downpour caused flash floods reminiscent of the storms in July.

The mayor of Lowville declared a state of emergency.

Once again, streets turned into rivers, backyards looked like ponds, and basements filled with water. And once again, the community must recover from the destruction.

Lowville Academy & Central School, which was just drained after the July flood, must start over. Damage from the July storm totaled more than $10 million.

On Monday, a stairwell in a school turned into a waterfall. Emergency crews in the building did their best to direct the water into the sewer system.

Outside, the water poured onto the lawn and left a mess.

Mike Hlad, the district’s facilities manager, says the field has already been used for training, but the turf will need some work after recent flooding.

There are still two weeks until school starts.

“It just happens. You can’t stop it. When Mother Nature comes from the sky, I guess you just have to deal with it,” Hlad said.

He says the district is currently assessing the damage caused by the recent flooding.

Hlad says SERVPRO teams need to return and reassess the damage.

New floors were being laid in some of the elementary school classrooms. In some of them, the floors were under about an inch of water.

On Trinity Avenue, which was hit hard in July, homeowners are now pumping out their basements again. One woman says she fears this will become the new normal.

“Every time it starts raining, I say, ‘Please! Oh, not again.’ So we’ll probably just buy a bigger pump,” said Ilvioe Tanis, who lives on Trinity Avenue.

County Manager Ryan Piche says he understands people’s frustration.

“Every time more water comes, it can’t drain away. That’s a big part of the problem, and a lot of the infrastructure that was hit hard a few weeks ago is not up to date and repaired. So more water doesn’t really help the situation,” he said.

School Councilor Rebecca Dunckel made the following statement:

“While it is certainly frustrating to see this event repeat itself, albeit on a smaller scale, it does not diminish our determination to provide a safe and welcoming learning environment for our students on opening day. Our resilience will be tested, but the work is meaningful and important.”

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