We finally got out of our mountain hollow in NY's Catskill Park yesterday afternoon.
We'd been stranded since Sunday the 28th as our 2-mile long country road was washed out in several places; two washouts more than 200 feet long. ATVs and then big 4WDs were able to get through sooner than our passenger car. This little road and the trout stream it follows are sandwiched between two of the Catskill high peaks. These are ancient mountains so "high peaks" is a relative term, here meaning over 3500 feet. The historic flooding downstream began in our mountain creeks.
The Irene flood was reported as "far worse than the 500 year flood of 1996." That's two 500 year floods in fifteen years, with several 100 year floods in the interim. This isn't just really bad luck in one locale. Things are changing here and we will all need to adapt. People really can't hide from the reality of climate change any longer. The NE Climate Change Impact Assessment predicts more, bigger and more intense precipitation "events" for us here.
No one died on our road, or was even injured. No houses were swept away. Power was restored on Thursday night and we never lost simple phone service, so we are indeed the lucky ones. I'm sorry to say, as I write it's raining again. We put the washer & dryer up on 2x4s again. Sigh. Now we understand that mid-week we may get the rain that should have gone to Texas.
This diary is in honor of the self-sufficient, generous and quietly heroic people of the Catskill Mountains. And the government officials, workers and community volunteers who have responded to this disaster the way Americans hope and expect.
Our part of this story is small and not so dramatic, but I'm very proud of the way my New York neighbors responded. See our very local story below.
Some of the villages, hamlets and farms of the wild and beautiful, forested Catskill Mountains, already struggling in difficult times, experienced devastating flash flooding from Hurricane Irene last Sunday. I can only speak about our 2-mile long road, since we got out to see the rest only now, a week after the hurricane.
The villages nearest to us are Arkville, Margaretville and Fleischmann's, Pine Hill, Phoenicia, Andes and Roxbury. Many videos have been posted on Youtube. Here are some:
Links did not work. See embedded flood video in the comments
">Fleischmann's
">Margaretville, AP
http://youtu.be/...
">Margaretville, Main St from the 2nd story 1.5 min
">Arkville
">Mt. Tremper Esopus Creek
">Phoenicia
If you watch the first Margaretville video above, you'll see the area's heroic volunteer fire department personnel. They rescued families, visitors and elderly from incredibly dangerous, fast-rising flood waters in the middle of the night. Then they delivered water, ice and other essentials to people like us who could safely remain in our homes and clean up with just a little inconvenience.
Ulster County government and our small Town have responded splendidly. The County contracted with construction firms to get our road open and those skilled workers have been working dawn to dusk, every day. Neighbors have made meals for them.
Governor Cuomo has been in Margaretville 3 times. The first time was during the flood itself when he snapped a photo that was widely distributed on the news while driving through 4 feet of water flowing down Main St. When we spoke to folks on Main St. yesterday, they were talking enthusiastically about how he arrived that morning with 150 volunteers to clear out the basements that had been filled to the top with flood water and debris. There was fatigue, but also a sense of relief that they were not forgotten and left to handle this horrible mess all by themselves.
The National Guard is here, and Red Cross. NY State opened a shelter, food pantry and is serving 3 hot meals a day up at Belleayre Mountain Ski Center. FEMA is here with a cadre of other agencies and assistance to help people navigate services. That's not to say there is help for everyone. Our Jeep is toast and FEMA doesn't help with that. The highway department doesn't rebuild private roads or bridges.
But this is how government should respond to an emergency, like human beings with the ability and authority to help their fellow citizens. After the mortifying, tragic failure of the Katrina non-response, it's a relief to see this.
A couple of comments and then our photos.
It's GREAT to have solar power, a generator, an ATV and/or 4x4 truck than can go anywhere. If you do, bully. But remember than everyone can't afford such preparedness luxuries. If your neighbor doesn't have them, it may not be because they didn't think of it or blew it off.
Flashlight batteries, are very important to have on hand. The day before Irene there was not one D-size battery to be had in Delaware or Ulster Counties, rechargeable or regular. I looked. We had some but not as many as we wanted, ultimately.
Keep or find old telephones. We never lost phone service because we had an old style telephone that runs off just the electricity in the telephone line.
We were very glad we had a simple Garmin wind up radio with AM, FM and shortwave. Wish it also had solar battery. A neighbor commented that he really liked his wind up lights too.
Getting things up off the floor is great, especially before the basement floods. Sometimes you just can't get things high enough. Therefore, don't put precious things in the basement!
A book light and enough batteries really helps after a day or so.
And lastly, there is nothing like a garden. We had fresh food, plenty and to share with our neighbors as we all ate through our melting freezers. Had it been cold weather we would also have been evacuated; would have to leave the house to complete ruin.
The flooding in our hollow on August 28, 2011, roughly in order by time.
Irene's Aftermath
Before anyone could get in to us, the dairyman down the road Jake Fairbairn of Lazy Crazy Acres creamery and his dad, Dr. John Fairbairn, used the equipment they had to open up a lane for emergency access. Jake's mom was the person, with her tough little farm pick up, who was able to drive in past several washouts to evacuate stranded folks further up the road when the rescue and forest ranger trucks were unable to get through.
Before any trucks or equipment could get in to us, neighbors checked on each other, pooled assets. Those with solar or generator power made room in their freezers for those without, e.g.
Road repair crews arrived to make access for emergency vehicles and try to prevent more flooding with rain in the forecast.
Guard, Red Cross and State relief teams made it in to us on Wednesday