Mandatory evacuations and road closures were common as Hurricane Irene rolled through Schenectady County and led to a patchwork of power outages.
County and municipal officials prepared for Hurricane Irene, which was downgraded to a tropical storm before local impact, but the effects of massive amounts of rainfall and a raging river couldn’t be avoided. Commuters on Monday, Aug. 29, often ran into a gridlock because of detours and closed bridges, with the Western Gateway Bridge closing for hours and limiting access out of Scotia into Schenectady. People walked, biked and drove around their neighborhood, often times with a camera or smart phone in hand, to observe the massive flooding throughout the county.
The Historic Stockade District in Schenectady isn’t a stranger to the flooding force of the Mohawk River, but some residents were surprised by how far the water came up the streets. Ingersoll Avenue in the Stockade had around 20 homes touched or submerged by floodwaters.
Shelly Paycheck returned Monday morning to survey the damage on of her family’s home at 11 Ingersoll Ave. and was devastated by the sight.
“We never expected this,” Paycheck said. “You never can predict what water will do; it is your enemy. This river has a mind of its own.”
Paycheck is the fourth generation of her family living in the Stockade and said everyone takes pride in their property throughout the neighborhood. While waters have risen before, Irene led to some of the most drastic flooding in recent memory.
“We’ve had flooding where you lose your hot water, so what; your furnace, so what; but for old people that have lived on these streets for years, they have lost everything,” said Paycheck. “We’re homeless and we’re middle-class people that have worked our whole lives, and we’re homeless right now because of the river. I’m sure there is a lot of anger right now … and sadness.”
She said her mind had to adjust to the devastation.
“We’ve never had our house under water before,” said Paycheck. “If one of us could have fought for this not to happen, we probably almost would give our lives if we could have made a barrier somehow … that is how the people of the Stockade are.”
Down the flooded street was Pat Belletti, 24, returning to dry land in a canoe from his home at 20 Ingersoll Ave., which he never left, even as it filled with water.
“I’ve been here all night and all day,” said Belletti. “My sister lives in the apartment above me, so I took everything I could and put it upstairs. My entire apartment is flooded.”
The water in Belletti’s first floor apartment reached around waist height and he said his couches and beds were floating in there. Most of his electronics and other items he could easily move were salvaged. He also fell into the flooded street by his house and the water was up to his neck.
“The water was coming out of the cracks in the basement,” said Belletti.
The smell of fuel, which he noted, could be detected in the air. The source of the fuel smell could not be confirmed.
Fleeing before the flood
Pat Steinbeiser from Driftwood Apartments in Schoharie was forced from her home by the impending storm and sought refuge at an American Red Cross emergency shelter at Schalmont High School on Sunday, Aug. 28.
“I lived in Florida for 20 years, and this is the first time I had to evacuate to a high school,” Steinbeiser. “I went out kicking and screaming too. … I tried everything to talk them out of it, but I couldn’t.”
She said she wasn’t worried about staying in her Schoharie apartment. Her husband passed away in April so she moved to the area to be closer to one of her six children.
The Gilboa Dam in Schoharie initially concerned government officials who feared it would break, but after the water started to recede, officials reported the dam suffered no structural damage.
Back in Schalmont’s cafeteria, along with around 50 other people on Sunday, Steinbeiser started to open a blanket inside a plastic bag given to her by Red Cross officials.
The ride to the shelter in a school bus also held a memorable moment for her.
“[The driver] didn’t know how to work the defrosting and the windshield was all fogged up,” said Steinbeiser. “I said, ‘Well, I don’t have a paper towel, but since our lives are at stake — underpants’ … I give him a pair of my underpants.”
Paramedic Supervisor of the Rotterdam Police Department Keith Collins said a majority of the people at the shelter were from Schoharie. Before 10 p.m. on Sunday, said Collins, one man was transported to the hospital. The concern of shelter workers was making sure people with chronic medical conditions remained stable.
Clean up next challenge
Jumpin’ Jack’s in Scotia was going to be open for another week when the flood it, but the summer dining establishment had to call it quits early. On Tuesday, Aug. 30, tractors could be seen pushing the muck and mud left by the river. Also, that day was supposed to host the final U.S. Water Ski Show Team.
Schenectady County and Rotterdam officials are working together in Rotterdam Junction to help clean up the flooded area. Lock 9 was gushing with water and ripped apart roadway next to the Mohawk River. As of Aug. 30, the town and National Gird officials were assessing the damage to the affected area.
For immediate assistance, a Rotterdam Junction Joint Assistance Center was set up at the firehouse at 1215 Main St. in Rotterdam Junction. The walk-in center will have important information for the status of houses and affected areas. The Salvation Army is also on-site to provide clean-up kits and food.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to assist the residents affected by this terrible disaster,” said County Legislator Tony Jasenski, chairman of the county Public Safety Committee, in a prepared statement. “I encourage any resident in need of assistance to visit the Joint Assistance Center or call 887-5575.”
President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in New York following Tropical Storm Irene to provide federal funding for recovery efforts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is authorized to identify, mobilize and provide equipment and resources to assist flood impacts.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo established the Upstate Storm and Flooding Recovery Task Force on Tuesday, Aug. 30, to tackle flood damage.
“From repairing roads and bridges, getting power back, helping with insurance claims and working with family farms, state government has rapidly mobilized to make sure that all available resources are in place to help the affected areas recover,” said Cuomo in a statement. “This task force will ensure the highest level of state and local coordination to leverage all state resources and get them to where they are needed.”
On Wednesday, Aug. 31, Cuomo said estimates on the cost of damage incurred statewide would near $1 billion. He gave additional figure on damage and said over 600 homes were destroyed, 150 major highways were damaged, 22 states bridges were closed. He added state farmers saw damages totaling over $45 million and 140,000 acres affected by the flooding.
`The damage we’ve sustained is significant and sometimes the bottom line is the bottom line. We need help on the economics,` said Cuomo during his Aug. 31 talk. `We’ll bring the energy, we’ll bring the commitment, we’ll bring the drive, we’ll bring the know-how, but these are not communities of deep pockets. These are communities that will need help, economic help, to restore themselves and we are looking forward to a partnership with the federal government to resolve this.`
