First let me say that to my knowledge everyone in Woodland Valley is fine. No one was injured and the worst damage I have heard about is that there were some flooded basements. The road has many problems but the highway department is working on it.
It started raining in the afternoon on Saturday. Lightly at first and then heavier as the night wore on. Somewhere around midnight the rain stared falling hard and fast. There are several gauges along the Esopus but the one I usually check is the one at Coldbrook. The usual level for the river at that point is between 4 and 6 feet. The gauge started to climb quickly at about 3:00 am. Somewhere in the early morning it hit 13 feet (flood stage is 11 feet, the final flood peak was close to 25 feet) and since it was supposed to rain all day I knew we were in trouble. My house is high so I didn't think I was in danger but I was worried about the road.
I looked down from the house around 8:00 am (time gets a little fuzzy here because I was starting to get nervous) and there was a stream at the bottom of my driveway that I only get when the WV stream is running high. That stream was up and over my driveway. That's when I noticed that the WV stream was starting to come over WV road and it was continuing to rise hard and fast. Harry, my boyfriend, tried to leave my house but WV road was blocked at the Holz farm. At that point I saw that my three neighbor's houses across the street were all surrounded by water. Two of the neighbors were not there. But the third left their house and came to mine. We lost internet first and then power and phone. So there was nothing left to do but to wait it out.
About 2:00 pm the rain stopped and that part of the creek receded. We walked down to the Holz farm. WV creek was still running down the middle of the road but George said that past his house the road was damaged but you could get into town. We all hiked up and in back of his property and went down together. The water had come over WV road in a few places. It had cut into the side and damaged the asphalt in several spots. The Roxmor, Grandview and Fawn Hill rebuilds all held but there were other problems. There was a chunk carved out of the road just below Fawn Hill bridge right before the curve at Ed Twerdak's. And the curve by Romer Mt Park that always blows out when it floods, was gone again.
As I rode down to town I noticed that several other houses looked like they had been surrounded by water but none looked like the water had gotten inside the structures themselves. (But that is really hard to tell unless you check inside.)
When we got further down towards town we saw that water had come up and over the Woodland Valley Bridge. Kenny Karge was still cutting trees off the deck of the bridge.
Phoenicia was a MESS! We had to park up by Al's and walk into town. Water was still running down Main St from the Stony Clove and the Esopus was over High St, Jay Street, Ricadella's parking lot and the whole back of town. There was flood mud everywhere. Most of the stores and restaurants in town had serious mud inside. The liquor store and Ricadella's were especially hard hit. The asphalt was ripped up and chunks of it were everywhere. The Bridge St bridge was still underwater and I wasn't sure if the middle of the structure was there or not. It looked like a giant toothpick holder with many trees sticking out from the top. The brown house that is between the The Town Tinker Tube rental and the bridge was still flooded. They had gotten 3 feet of water into the house. Black Bear campground had been flooded and scoured as was the Town Tinker parking lot.
I spent the rest of the day trying to make sure everyone was alright and getting information. That is when I found out that a lot of the major damage on WV road was in the top of the valley. As I told you in my last post, back in the Woodland Park Association, the bridge that goes past Ernie Person's house to the field side of the Park Association is gone. And I don't mean damaged, I mean gone. Ernie has built a makeshift walking bridge so everyone on that side can get to their houses. They all had the foresight to leave their cars on Woodland Valley Road.
Also in the Woodland Park Association, the small bridge (a culvert really) that leads to the back part of the club on 7 mile road is gone.
If your house was away from the creek you are probably fine. If you are next to the creek you might have some erosion. You should check your house or have someone check it for you as soon as you can.
Fawn Hill and Pantherkill roads have damages as well. BE VERY CAREFUL DRIVING IN THE VALLEY AND UP YOUR DRIVEWAY THE FIRST TIME YOU COME BACK! Try and do it in daylight if possible. Many driveways are seriously rutted. The highway department has done a great job of temporarily repairing the roads but most of these fixes are only short term so people can travel safely. So beware!!
The bridge on Rt 28 in Mt Tremper is open but it is only one lane. So plan ahead if you have to cross it.
Wires and poles are hanging precariously in several spots in the valley. Right now power, phone and internet are still out. And the power company was saying 10 days before that returns. Remember to bring drinking water if you plan on coming and staying. There are some folks in Woodland Vally who have phone service if they have a old conventional phone. So bring a phone that doesn't require electricity and try it. You may have service. Bring bottled water, candles, a flashlight and a radio that runs on batteries if you are coming to visit. If you have friends up here and plan to visit you might want to bring them some bottled water too.
As for the rest of the town it is also very messy in places. I didn't check these things for myself but here is some information I have been hearing in town. Mt Tremper where Rt 212 and Rt 28 meet, Margaretville, Arkville, Fleichmans and Wyndham all have serious damages. Fox Hollow was very, very hard hit and the road was knocked out. There are a big chunks out of Oliverea Road, Rt 42 and several spots on Rt 28 west of Phoenicia. Pine Hill was miraculously spared. Town Hall is OK but without power and phone. In the end, what I do know is that most of Shandaken was very hard hit. Some people lost their homes. I am sure there is a lot more damages that I just haven't heard about yet. Hurricane Irene was devastating.
My heart goes out to anyone who has suffered loss or damages during this storm.
So that's all for now. I apologize for the disjointedness of this post. I am tired and the last few days have been overwhelming so it is hard to get my thoughts straight.
- Carol Seitz
PS - I will post more photos and videos in the next day or so. The first 2 photos below are of the WV stream over the road in front of the Holz farm. The next 3 are of the WV bridge. The next 2 are of the end of town by Jay Street where it meets the Esopus. The next 3 are in Phoenicia. The last is of the Bridge Street bridge. These where all taken Sunday afternoon. Since then the town has begun the long clean-up process.
PPS - A lot of people in the community are emailing me. Please be patient. I will get back to you as soon as possible.
