The town is still preparing for the worst even after adverse weather as a result of Hurricane Irene has subsided with many areas of the town still holding orders of voluntary evacuation. Even with the State of Emergency lifted, Mike Rayball, director of Emergency Management and Planning Department, said evacuations for some areas along the Mohawk and the Hudson rivers such as River Road, lower Forts Ferry Road and Island View Road. The evacuation orders, he said, are expected to stay in place until around noon today but not until the water recedes. One of the bigger areas where there was flooding were the Village One Apartments in Menands. Rayball said there was a bit of back flooding from the Hudson, filling mainly the parking lots with water. Supervisor Paula Mahan said the City of Cohoes and Green Island put together a Red Cross Shelter at Cohoes High School for residents of the apartment. The shelter also extends to residents of lower Forts Ferry and Blains Bay. There are also several road closings due to flooding. Those roads are Kings Road, British American Road, Old Niskayuna Road, Lincoln Road going out towards Watervliet and Menands and a portion of Schaffer Drive. Both of the rivers are expected to crest around 4 p.m., but Rayball said the water levels should return to normal levels by tomorrow morning. `Our biggest concern is where all the debris is going to end up,` Rayball said. `Until the water recedes, we won’t be able to tell which infrastructure had damage to it.` There was one fatality that was reported yesterday, Rayball said, as a man died from a heart attack while bailing out his basement. There were some other reports of people taken to the hospital not because of the storm itself, but because of not having proper ventilation while running a backup generator. `A family on Hoffman drive were using a generator in their garage,` he said/ `When there is improper ventilation, the fumes back up into the house. Fortunately they woke up.` Rayball said people need to make sure there is adequate ventilation when running a generator and people should also be cautious about the generator back feeding, which could harm utility workers. Mahan has been driving around the area and visiting some sites that have been badly hit. She said all members of the Volunteer Fire Departments in the town and Department of Public Works people have started clean up. `Everyone came together and municipalities came together,` she said. `Overall, we tried to prepare in advance. We have the Emergency Operation Center open as well as the police department. Everyone is doing a great job.` There are still some areas without power but no large sections of the town, Rayball said.
For any emergencies, Mahan said to contact the communications division at 783-2744. Rayball advised for people to because with contractors offering to help with damages as people could potentially be scamming them. `Make sure to work with reputable people,` he said. `Take the necessary precautions and make sure to work with insurance companies on those claims.` UPDATE:
Rayball said most of the water is receding in most areas but there is still an issue with the Village One Apartments. `Once the water goes below a certain point of the river, the storm drains will start taking in the water,` he said. There is still a voluntary evacuation order for the areas along the Mohawk River. He said for residents who feel safe to go back to their homes that they can do so. Areas in the voluntary evacuation order are River Road, Northview Road, Forts Ferry Road, Shaker Bay and Takkenkill Road, Schaeffer Road, Alix Road and Islandview Road, Nemith Road, Schermerhorn Road, Crescent Terrace, Dunsbach Ferry Road, Cohoes Crescent Road, Maplewood, the Village One Apartments, Oakland Avenue, Elmwood Road Extension and Irving Place There is still some concern with the Lock 7 dam, he said, but the issue is improving.
`It does seem to be getting better,` he said. `We’ll try to make some decisions what to do with it.` The Latham Water district also implemented water usage and conservation measures. This is to limit the amount of water usage to protect the district’s water supply and maintain sufficient pressure for fire protection. This means limiting use of hoses and sprinklers, water use for ornamental fountains, filling swimming pools or using water-cooled comfort air conditioning. Any further questions on water usage, residents are asked to contact the district at 786-2750
Rayball said the town began collecting preliminary damage assessments, which he said will be an ongoing process.