TWIN TIERS, (WENY) -- Fifty-one years ago, on June 23, 1972, the Twin Tiers were permanently altered as remnants of hurricane Agnes swept through the region. Agnes formed in the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical depression, becoming a tropical storm by June 16, 1972.  

Its journey would take the system up through the Florida Panhandle, where it would make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane. In the following days, Agnes would weaken and become a tropical storm as it traveled across the Mid-Atlantic and up to the Northeast.  

By June 23rd, heavy rain would cause flooding over the Keystone and Empire States leading to one of the worst floods the Twin Tiers has seen.  

Parts of the twin tiers were underwater as heavy rains caused significant flooding in the region. Homes were destroyed and some businesses were swept away. Many residents had to make the difficult choice of packing up and leaving after the devastation.  

It took days for floodwaters to recede, leaving behind what many survivors have described as a "warzone" with unimaginable destruction and suffering. Rebuilding would take years and some areas would never be the same.  

In Elmira alone there was more than a quarter of a billion dollars worth of damage in the 1970s. At the time, Agnes was the most expensive natural disaster in American history.  

According to the Chemung County historical society, about 15,000 Elmira residents were forced to evacuate their homes and 5,000 homes throughout Chemung County were damaged during the flood. The downtown was changed forever, and its effects are still felt today.  

Rapid flooding in the Corning-area claimed the lives of 19 people, after the levee broke and caused the river to overflow. Corning's businesses, including the facilities of Corning Glassworks, were deeply impacted. 

In addition to cities like Corning and Elmira, many places in the Keystone State were also impacted like Towanda and Sayre.