Schenectady, Glenville residents asked to prepare for possible flooding

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

A resident of Ingersoll Avenue in the Stockade walks along the ice-covered sidewalk Sunday.

With temperatures expected to rise into the 40s this weekend and the Mohawk River still clogged with ice jams, officials are warning residents in low-lying areas to be prepared for more flooding, and to be sure emergency management officials know how to reach them.

Officials in Schenectady and Glenville are advising anyone with an unlisted landline or who relies on a cellphone to register their number with the Schenectady County Office of Emergency Management, in case emergency alerts are issued.

“Residents should prepare themselves for flooding and be ready to evacuate if instructed,” city police warned.

The city Police Department said late Thursday that the potential for flooding may exist for the next few weeks.

Schenectady police and fire officials and the county Office of Emergency Management will be actively monitoring the river’s condition.

Ice jams formed in the river past the Stockade neighborhood early last weekend, leading to minor flooding along Ingersoll Avenue and in Riverside Park. That water has since subsided, but the jams remain in the river, extending downstream past Rexford.

People who don’t have listed landlines may enter their number to the county’s emergency notification database at www.schenectadycounty.com/rapidnotify. Listed numbers will be notified automatically if an emergency is issued or evacuation ordered.

The National Weather Service is currently predicting temperatures will rise into the low 40s on Saturday and Sunday, with a chance of a storm bringing snow, sleet and rain from Monday afternoon into overnight.