WOW!! I can't believe I haven't checked my blog in months. Crazy how busy it has been. Well I wanted to write about something meaningful to me. With everything going on back in my hometown of Margaretville, NY, I thought that is exactly what I would talk about. Bring a little more details to the public about what is going on back in NY. Here is a picture of my hometown pre hurricane Irene flooding. A cute, quiet little town. Where every knows everyone. When I was a kids I hated growing up in such a small town where you had to drive 1 hour to get to any civilization (i.e. shopping and movies, the staples in a teenagers world). As I got older, it began to grow on me. Weather that was fast that I was just becoming more mature or something that comes with growing up in a tight knit community. I cried like a baby the day I decided to move out of town to move on with my life with my then fiance. Life happens and takes you in many places. I always came home when I could, not just to visit my parents, but to see that my hometown was always the same and never changed.
Recently my town was devastated by flooding. Now this town has seen flooding before, every 10 years or so the rivers would rise and flood basements run over bridges and parking lots. We were all used to that occasionally happening. Places flood when you have a lot of rain, a part of the world. Then you get the summer of 2011. Supposedly the wettest August in decades. Margaretville had had some rain in the middle of the month so everything was saturated from that. Then August 27th hurricane Irene rears her head on the east cost. Everyone was expected for her to hit North Carolina, Virginia, DC, and NYC hard. We were all ready for what she had to bring us. Guaranteed she did hit some of those areas hard, but nothing to what we expected. I now live in Virginia Beach, VA. So we stocked up on water, food, batteries, flashlights, and gas for the generator. Expecting to be without electricity for days. Taped up the windows, brought anything that could fly around in the house. We were prepared for what was about to come. This was not my first time in a hurricane so I knew what to expect, and well hurricane Irene did nothing. I have seen a lot worse from a hurricane. Our street flooded in front of the house, which we were told is normal because all the streets drain on front of my house. We had some wind, but nothing like I have seen before. The morning after she passed us it was a beautiful sunny 95 degree day. It looked like nothing had hit us at all. We had one branch in the back yard (FYI my house is built right next to a nature preserve, so my whole back yard is trees).
As I woke up on August 28th, I came to find out that my hometown was falling apart. Thanks to facebook I was kept up to date with every detail going on back home. I called home in a panic, knowing my parents now lived on Main street which was built next to 2 rivers. Mom told me the water was rising fast and she was packing up to take her, my step dad and their 5 dogs to a friends house on top of a mountain. Which made me feel a little better. Not much though, because my parents were supposed to be at my house that weekend. I asked them to stay home so they wouldn't be driving in the hurricane. We all thought they would be safer back in Catskill Mountains of NY. So my mom left for higher ground and I soon found out my step dad wanted to stay back at the house. He just felt better keeping an eye on the water and the house. So of course I was more of a wreck worried about him. Thanks to facebook and everyone back home sharing what they were seeing I was able to find a picture of my parents house. Guess what the guy standing under the porch with all the plants, that's my step dad! The water at that point had filled our basement and was rising up to the front door. This is our local fireman and woman helping to evacuate people during the flooding.Thankfully our local fireman and woman have plenty of training and knew what to do to get everyone out safely.
It was really surprising how high the water got this time. This is the highest the water levels have every gotten. No one expected this. Remember that picture at the top of what main street looked like before Irene destroyed it. Sunny beautiful and so peaceful. This was main street during the flood. Bales of hay floating down the street from the local farmers field. Don't they look like giant marshmallows?? (need a little laugh to lighten up the sadness). The picture below is of the other end of Main street. My parents home (not in picture) is on the right side of this picture across from the bar/restaurant that is at the end of the picture. Hard to believe the water could ever get this high.
Margaretville, was the town I lived in most of my life and grew up, but there are many little towns around us that make up what I call my hometown. There is Margaretville, Arkville and Flieschamanns. Those 3 little town make up what I call home. Each one of them was affected one way or another. Here is a picture of what my friends Auto shop and apartment building in Fliechmanns looked like during the flood. Where the garbage can is what used to be main street. Those cars that are all bunched up together used to be next to the white apartment building, not in front of it. The building hiding behind the trees is there local fire hall.Which is obviously under water as well.
As the pictures kept coming in, the reality set in even more that home would be never the same again. Especially when I saw the photos of CVS, our video store and only grocery store (FYI it was just remodeled a little over a year ago) under water.
After a day of torrential down pours, the rain stopped and the waters started to recede. As the waters went down the true devastation started to set in. I learned right away, mom was able to go home. Which was a relief because my step dad was still there. They were lucky and just had a lot of water in the basement. Many other friends and family were not so lucky. Some were able to return to a messy muddy house. Which sucks, but at least they had a home to return to. Many other people had no home and nothing to return to. If the building was still there it was condemned so they couldn't go home. Now I would like to show you some pictures of what my town looked like as the waters left our once quiet community.
The foundation was compromised from the rushing water. Since the foundation on the outside wall was gone, the wall had no support to hold the roof of our CVS store collapsed.
The parking lot in front of the grocery store torn apart by water. The next picture below is of the Granary building. It had a real estate building in front, apartments upstairs, and once of my favorite cafe's located on the left side of the building.
This is the Granary after the flood waters departed. It left a gaping hole in the front of the store. The beautiful rock wall that was built years ago, is in shambles.
Despite all the bad things that have happened, our town like always comes together and we rebuild. Thanks to a lot of supporters, that is what they are doing. Below is a picture of Governer Cuomo and natiaonal guard helping clean up some of the many businesses.
The town has come together to help each other rebuild, but they have a long way to go. The town will never be the same, but I think it will be even better than it was before. I may be far away from the town I grew up in, but they are never far from my heart. Which is why I have been harassing my fellow business owners to donate items to help earn money for this community. I love my hometown and wish I could do more. I hope that is has let some people know what happened to a small community nestled in the Catskill Mountains of NY. I realize that that are many other towns that were affected just as much and many people lost everything they own as well. My heart goes out to each and every one of them.
