Effects of Hurricane Irene in New York#Orange County

Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency on August 25,{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/10/hurricane-irene-new-york_n_937101.html|title=New York Declares State Of Emergency For Hurricane Irene|work=The Huffington Post|date=2011-08-25|access-date=2011-08-25|first=Simon|last=McCormack}} urging the Office of Emergency Management to prepare for a possible landfall or direct hit from Irene.{{cite news|last=Hartnell|first=Neil|title=Irene pounds Bahamas, North Carolina on hurricane watch|date=2011-08-25|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-rt-us-storm-irenetre77k018-20110821,0,250539.story|agency=Reuters|work=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=2011-08-25}}{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Cuomo ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops and oversaw their departure from the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City, and stated that the Guard would assist police, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Port Authority in New York and Long Island.James Barron, [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/nyregion/new-yorkers-warned-of-possible-electrical-shutdown.html "New York City Shuts Down Amid Flooding Fears"] (August 27, 2011), The New York Times. A mandatory evacuation order for low-lying areas of New York City was issued at 2:00 p.m. on August 26.{{cite web|title=New York City Hurricane Evacuation Zones|url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/downloads/pdf/hurricane_map_english.pdf|publisher=NYC.gov|access-date=2011-08-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110912165708/http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/downloads/pdf/hurricane_map_english.pdf|archive-date=2011-09-12}} A day prior, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg had announced that the city would prepare to create "an enormous shelter system" for residents without access to higher ground.{{cite news|last=Goldman|first=Henry|title=Irene May Require NYC Evacuations|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-25/irene-may-require-evacuations-of-some-new-york-city-areas-bloomberg-says.html|date=2011-08-25|publisher=Bloomberg|access-date=2011-08-25}} President Barack Obama issued a state of emergency declaration for the New York metropolitan area, freeing federal disaster funds, and tasking the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate disaster relief efforts.{{cite news|title=Obama: Emergency for NY as Irene approaches|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/APa0165fe3bd8f4117a0552b6a414dbc94|access-date=2011-08-27|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=2011-08-26|agency=Associated Press}}

Beginning at 0900 UTC on August 26, a hurricane watch was issued from Sandy Hook in New Jersey to the mouth of the Merrimack River in Massachusetts; this encompassed Long Island and the southeastern coast of the state. Later that day at 2100 UTC, a previously issued hurricane warning was modified to include the coast from the Little River Inlet in South Carolina to Sagamore Beach in Massachusetts. Shortly after moving inland over New York, the hurricane warning was downgraded to a tropical storm warning at 1500 UTC on August 28. Early on the following day, all watches and warnings were discontinued.{{cite web|author=Lixion A. Avila and John Cangialosi|date=2011-12-14|title=Hurricane Irene Tropical Cyclone Report|publisher=National Hurricane Center|access-date=2012-02-18|url={{NHC TCR url|id=AL092011_Irene}}|format=PDF}}

The Staten Island University Hospital, Coney Island Hospital, New York University Hospitals Center, and the Veterans Administration Hospital began evacuating patients on August 26;{{cite news|title=Live blog: Irene's winds 'extremely dangerous' at 105 mph|url=http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/26/live-blog-irene-weakens-slightly/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828031730/http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/26/live-blog-irene-weakens-slightly/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 28, 2011|publisher=CNN|date=2011-08-26|access-date=2011-08-25}} sixteen nursing homes and adult care facilities were also evacuated.{{cite news|title=State-by-state developments related to Hurricane Irene|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/25/hurricane.irene.state.by.state/index.html?hpt=hp_c2|publisher=CNN|access-date=2011-08-26|date=2011-08-25}} Possible rising seawater levels from storm surge and a predicted high tide led to a complete shutdown of the MTA, the nation's largest mass transit system. All subway, bus, and commuter rail service in New York City was halted{{cite web|url=http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/local_news/staten_island/hurricane-irene-could-shut-down-entire-nyc-transit-system-20110825-akd|title=Hurricane Irene Could Shut Down Entire NYC Transit System|publisher=WNYW|date=2011-08-25|access-date=2011-08-25|archive-date=2011-11-05|archive-url=https://archive.today/20111105000130/http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/local_news/staten_island/hurricane-irene-could-shut-down-entire-nyc-transit-system-20110825-akd|url-status=dead}} at noon on August 27,{{cite news|title=Live blog: New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey to halt transit services|url=http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/26/live-blog-irene-weakens-slightly|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102162451/http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/26/live-blog-irene-weakens-slightly|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 2, 2013|publisher=CNN|date=2011-08-26|access-date=2011-08-26}} with John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport also closing.[https://gothamist.com/news/hurricane-irene-wrecks-travel-as-nyc-area-airports-close-more-flights-cancelled Hurricane Irene Wrecks Travel As NYC Area Airports Close, More Flights Cancelled], Gothamist, August 27, 2011 The New York International Fringe Festival cancelled all performances for August 27, and 28, as did all Broadway shows for those days.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/153978-UPDATED-Hurricane-Irene-Prompts-Cancellation-of-All-Broadway-Shows-Aug-27-28 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913234608/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/153978-UPDATED-Hurricane-Irene-Prompts-Cancellation-of-All-Broadway-Shows-Aug-27-28 |archive-date=2012-09-13 |title=UPDATED: Hurricane Irene Prompts Cancellation of All Broadway Shows Aug. 27–28; Off-Broadway Also Impacted |last=Jones |first=Kenneth |date=2011-08-26 |magazine=Playbill |access-date=2011-08-26 }} The United States Tennis Association cancelled special events planned for the 2011 US Open.{{cite news|last=Rossingh|first=Danielle|title=National Tennis Center to Close on Eve of U.S. Open; Kids' Day Canceled|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-26/national-tennis-center-to-close-on-eve-of-u-s-open-kids-day-canceled.html|access-date=2011-08-27|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|date=2011-08-26}} Many New Yorkers likewise canceled their evening plans and spent the night at their own residences or with friends, having informal parties. Supermarkets did heavy business; there were jokes later about gaining "the Irene 15". Since they had to walk, drive or take taxicabs to go long distances due to the transit shutdown, city life took on a more relaxed character. "There was a community feeling", said one. "People were just stopping and talking on the sidewalk."{{cite news|last=Rosenbloom|first=Stephanie|title=New York Was Calm as Irene Stormed Through|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/fashion/new-york-was-calm-as-irene-stormed-through.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 2, 2011|access-date=September 3, 2011}}

{{See also|List of United States tornadoes from July to August 2011#August 28 event}}

Flooding overwhelmed a number of local sewage treatment plants, since many of them collect and process storm runoff as well as wastewater. The state's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reported on September 6 that at least 52 municipalities in the Hudson Valley had reported raw-sewage spills into local waters. "The collection plants were just overwhelmed" said one DEC engineer. However, the sheer volume of water from the storm mitigated the pollution by heavily diluting it.{{cite news|last=Bosch|first=Adam|title=Sewage plants no match for Irene, authorities say|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110908/NEWS/109080314/-1/NEWS|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=2011-09-08|access-date=2011-09-14|archive-date=2014-02-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222212101/http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110908%2FNEWS%2F109080314%2F-1%2FNEWS|url-status=dead}} The approximate number of power outages were reported in the following counties: 36,000 in Albany County, 6,000 in Columbia County, 25,000 in Dutchess County, 7,000 in Fulton County, 18,000 in Greene County, 7,200 in Hamilton County, 2,500 in Herkimer County, 7,000 in Montgomery County, 24,000 in Saratoga County, 26,000 in Schenectady County, 9,000 in Schoharie County, 23,000 in Warren County, 4,500 in Washington County, and 60,000 in Ulster County.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} At times, the New York Thruway was closed from Westchester County to Albany.[https://www.syracuse.com/news/2011/08/sections_of_new_york_thruway_c.html Sections of New York Thruway closed by flooding], Syracuse.com, August 29, 2011 Two weak EF0 tornadoes touched down in Queens and West Islip as well.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

File:Flooding in Staten Island.ogv (7:07–8:52 EST)]]

Upon making landfall on Coney Island, the storm produced a storm surge of {{convert|4.36|ft|m}} and a storm tide of {{convert|9.5|ft|m}} at Battery Park. Winds were lighter than the intensity of the storm in New York City. However, two locations in the city reported tropical storm force winds. A sustained wind speed of {{convert|45|and|50|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} was reported at John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, respectively. On Manhattan, sustained winds were significantly less, reaching {{convert|32|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} at Central Park. Rainfall in the area was moderate, with John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Central Park reporting {{convert|5.02|in|mm}}, {{convert|5.37|in|mm}}, and {{convert|6.87|in|mm}}, respectively. Floods from Irene contributed to August 2011 being the wettest month ever in New York City.{{cite web|title=August 2011 National Climate Report |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/national/201108 |website=NOAA |access-date=August 12, 2022}}

In New York City, the Hudson River flooded, starting at approximately 8:50 a.m. on August 28, into Zone B as well as Zone A, mostly in the Meatpacking District along the Hudson River in Manhattan. At 9:15, the northern tube of the Holland Tunnel closed, but was soon re-opened.{{Cite press release |title=Port Authority Reopens North Tube of the Holland Tunnel |url=http://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=1457 |website=Port Authority of New York and New Jersey |date=August 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002104107/http://www.panynj.gov/press-room/press-item.cfm?headLine_id=1457 |archive-date=2011-10-02}} As of 9:20, the flooding was at about a foot deep.{{Where|date=August 2011}} The water came within a foot of flooding the subway system and road tunnels.{{cite news|last=NAVARRO|first=MIREYA|title=New York Is Lagging as Seas and Risks Rise, Critics Warn|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/nyregion/new-york-faces-rising-seas-and-slow-city-action.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=3 November 2012|date=10 September 2012|quote=Irene .. one foot short of paralyzing transportation}} The police reported 30 arrests during the storm, some in domestic violence cases resulting from couples forced to remain inside.{{cite news|last=Wilson|first=Michael|title=A Time of Drenching Rain, Gusting Wind and Peculiar Crimes|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/03/nyregion/a-look-at-the-crimes-committed-in-new-york-city-during-irene.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2011-09-02|access-date=2011-09-14}} By 10:45, almost all of FDR Drive was closed.[https://twitter.com/notifynyc/status/107825959218069504 Due to flooding, the FDR Drive is fully closed, with the exception of E Houston St to E 34 St, MN. Consider alternate routes.], NYCEM, Twitter, August 28, 2011

One man drowned at a marina in City Island in the Bronx, New York City while checking on his boat during the storm,{{Cite news| last = Kleinfield| first = N.R.| title = Brave, Foolhardy and Just Unlucky: The Lives Lost in Hurricane Irene| work =The New York Times| access-date = 2011-09-01| date = 2011-08-30| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/31/nyregion/brave-foolhardy-and-just-unlucky-the-lives-lost-in-hurricane-irene.html?_r=1}} while just north of New York City, one person was killed when an inflatable boat capsized on the Croton River.{{cite news|last=WPVI-TV|first=DT|title=The 44 victims of Hurricane Irene|url=https://6abc.com/archive/8333317/|access-date=2011-09-14|newspaper=6ABC|date=2011-08-31|archive-date=2011-11-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111114231225/http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi//story?section=news%2Flocal&id=8333317|url-status=live}} Two baseball games between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves were postponed due to the effects of the storm.[https://www.espn.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/6899071/hurricane-forces-new-york-mets-postpone-two-games Mets postpone two games], ESPN, August 26, 2011

Extensive power outages occurred in both Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island. Almost 350,000 homes and businesses were without electricity, mainly due to heavy winds knocking down trees, which in turn knocked out many power lines.Jonathan Allen – [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-storm-irene-longisland-idUSTRE77S6MU20110829 "Long Island residents frustrated by power outages"] – Reuters – August 29, 2011 – Retrieved 30 August 2011. Rising frustration among residents over the slow pace of power restoration led Cuomo to call on the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) to replace system operator National Grid, whose contract is up for renewal.{{cite news|last=Baker|first=Al|title=Amid Mud and Floods, Push to Restore Power|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/nyregion/after-tropical-storm-irene-push-to-restore-power-in-new-york-region.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2011-09-03|access-date=2011-09-14}} Orient Beach State Park was closed for 3 days due to storm damage.[https://patch.com/new-york/northfork/orient-beach-state-park-reopens Orient Beach State Park Reopens], Patch.com, September 1, 2011

Another fatality occurred on the south shore of Long Island, when a windsurfer drowned in Bellport Bay.

In Albany County, numerous trees and power lines were reported down due to strong winds. This resulted in numerous power outages and road closures. There was also extensive flooding along the Normanskill Creek that resulted in significant property damage to homes located near the creek.{{cite web|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~894471|title=Event Record Details: Tropical Storm|author=Hinson, Stuart|date=2011|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|access-date=2012-02-20}}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{Update section|date=May 2019}}

{{multiple image

| align = left

| direction = horizontal

| header = Damaged roads in New Windsor

| header_align = center

File:Plant Irene

| image1 = Forge Hill Road bridge washout after Hurricane Irene, New Windsor, NY.jpg

| width1 = 200

| alt1 = A road with a huge gap in front of the camera. Pieces of marked pavement are visible in the hole; its bottom cannot be seen from this angle. The box girder guardrails continue across it on either side. Beyond it is a concrete barrier

| caption1 = Forge Hill Road

| image2 = Damage from Hurricane Irene flooding to Butternut Drive, New Windsor, NY.jpg

| width2 = 200

| alt2 = A section of road with part of it missing, showing a cross-section of pavement and the top of some steep bluffs. Two white houses are in the background, one very near the bluff edge

| caption2 = Butternut Drive

| footer = Both roads are adjacent to Moodna Creek, which was flooded.

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}}

The Ramapo's flooding was believed by residents of an area of Tuxedo east of the river which flooded severely to have been exacerbated by the failure of a dam at Arden. Rainfall there was recorded at {{convert|11.48|in|mm}}, the most of any location in the county. Later investigation found that the earthen dam at {{convert|25|acre|adj=on}} Echo Lake, on a private preserve owned by descendants of rail magnate Edward Harriman, Arden's founder, had collapsed during the storm, sending an alleged 100 million gallons ({{convert|100000000|gal|m3|disp=output only}}) into the river. Some residents reported an {{convert|8|ft|adj=on}} wall of water coming down the river; those with property along the river say it had never gotten that high in other storms. The dam had last been inspected in 1986 and found to be "low-hazard", meaning its failure would not severely impact any structures or roads in the area. Local officials were incredulous, noting the dam's proximity to the New York State Thruway, which had to be closed through there for two days as a result.{{cite news|last=Sunkin|first=Alyssa|title=Hard-hit Tuxedo residents want answers about collapse of dam|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111003/NEWS/110030340/-1/NEWS14|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=October 3, 2011|access-date=October 4, 2011}}

In Goshen, the Orange County seat, residents reported sewage backing up into their homes, and in some cases the streets. Vaccinations against tetanus and hepatitis were offered to rescuers before entering houses in some areas.{{cite news|last=Sullivan|first=John|title=Raw sewage worried rescuers in Goshen|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110908/NEWS/109080313/-1/NEWS|newspaper=Times=Herald Record|date=2011-09-08|access-date=2011-09-14|archive-date=2014-02-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222213616/http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110908%2FNEWS%2F109080313%2F-1%2FNEWS|url-status=dead}} District Attorney Frank Phillips reported that a flooded grand jury room at the Orange County Government Center, which was closed for the week after the storm, might have to be renovated due to mold growth.{{cite news|last=McKenna|first=Chris|title=Government Center mold troublesome, Phillips says|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110908/NEWS/109080311/-1/NEWS|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=2011-09-08|access-date=2011-09-14}} A day after it was reopened, rainfall from Tropical Storm Lee flooded it again, and it was closed indefinitely.{{cite news|last=McKenna|first=Chris|title=Orange County Government Center closed indefinitely|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110909/NEWS/109090356|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=2011-09-09|access-date=2011-09-14}} County Executive Edward A. Diana pressed legislators to reach a decision soon on whether to repair the building or replace it, a topic long under consideration in county government.{{cite news|title=Diana pushes legislators to OK new building|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110916/NEWS/109160389|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=September 16, 2011|access-date=September 16, 2011}} In the interim, the county's courts scrambled for space. The county's 170-year-old original courthouse, which had not been used for that purpose in 40 years, temporarily hosted civil cases.{{cite news|last=Yakin|first=Heather|title=Orange County judges play musical chairs|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110920/NEWS/109200313/-1/NEWS|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=September 20, 2011|access-date=September 20, 2011}}

Elsewhere in the county, parts the village of Washingtonville were under {{convert|8|ft|m}} of water during the storm due to the flash flood of Moodna Creek. Some homes near the creek had to be condemned.{{cite news|last=Sullivan|first=John|title=Hundreds in Washingtonville displaced by Irene|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110902/NEWS/109020348|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=2011-09-02|access-date=2011-09-14|archive-date=2014-02-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222205032/http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110902%2FNEWS%2F109020348|url-status=dead}} Three weeks later, Moffat Library was closed down for repairs and cleaning from the {{convert|6|ft|m}} of water in its basement.{{cite news|last=Sullivan|first=John|title=Help sought as library forced to move|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110916/NEWS/109160391/-1/NEWS|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=September 16, 2011|access-date=September 16, 2011}} It would not reopen until late 2017.{{cite news|last1=Bayne |first1=Richard J. |title=Landmark Washingtonville library reopens |url=https://www.recordonline.com/news/20170916/landmark-washingtonville-library-reopens |access-date=26 May 2019 |work=Times-Herald Record |date=September 16, 2017 |language=en}}

In Harriman State Park, the beach at Lake Sebago was washed away completely, and had to be closed for the upcoming holiday weekend. Seven Lakes Drive has been closed through the park due to extensive damage.{{cite news|last=Bosch|first=Adam|title=Region's parks took a pounding from heavy rains|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110909/NEWS/109090357/-1/NEWS|date=2011-09-09|access-date=2011-09-14}}

Orange County's Cornell Cooperative Extension estimates that half of the county's {{convert|3400|acre}} of cultivated land was damaged, along with $1.5 million in farm infrastructure such as field roads washed away, soil covered in silt and land eroded.

File:Deep gorge created in road after Hurricane Irene flooding, Oliverea, NY.jpg

In Ulster County, crop losses were estimated at $5 million. One farmer in Kerhonkson found his fields under {{convert|12|ft}} of water from Rondout Creek, enough for him to use personal watercraft on the resulting lake well into September.{{cite news|last=Horrigan|first=Jeremiah|title=Farmers despairing over monumental losses of crops|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110919/NEWS/109190329/-1/NEWS|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=September 19, 2011|access-date=September 19, 2011|archive-date=February 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222203516/http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110919%2FNEWS%2F109190329%2F-1%2FNEWS|url-status=dead}}

Residents of the area around Frost Valley YMCA in the Ulster County town of Shandaken were stranded when washouts, including one that created a 50-foot–deep ({{convert|50|ft|disp=output only}}) ravine, cut off the road through the area in both directions.{{cite news|last=Haskell|first=Michelle|title=Power still out, people still stuck in Frost Valley; YMCA helps neighbors|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110831/NEWS/110839929/-1/NEWS51|access-date=2011-08-31|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=2011-09-14|archive-date=2011-11-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106075124/http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110831/NEWS/110839929/-1/NEWS51|url-status=dead}} The electricity utility, NYSEG, estimates that most residents of Shandaken (about 2,000 customers) will be without power until September 7, 2011.[http://www.nyseg.com/Outages/outageinformation.html "Electricity Power Outages"]. NYSEG, accessed September 1, 2011 By the weekend, local officials were also calling for the dam at Winnisook Lake, the source of Esopus Creek, to be shored up as it had begun to erode and another rainstorm might lead to a breach and another flash flood that could impact many of the town's other settled areas, already devastated. "If the water comes this way," said Shandaken's supervisor, "we're done."{{cite news|last=Novinson|first=Michael|title=Shandaken 'screaming for answers'|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110903/NEWS/109030321|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=September 3, 2011|access-date=June 5, 2020|archive-date=June 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606024417/https://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110903/NEWS/109030321|url-status=dead}} In Phoenicia, at the confluence of the Esopus and Stony Clove Creek, where flooding was also severe, some residents, along with Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, have questioned whether buildings on the flood plain should be rebuilt as they have been in the past, at least not without improving building codes.{{cite news|last=Semple|first=Kirk|title=On Flood Plain, Pondering Wisdom of Rebuilding Anew|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/nyregion/for-a-town-on-a-flood-plain-doubts-about-rebuilding.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2011-09-04|access-date=2011-09-14}}

File:Downed trees on Peekamoose-Table Trail after Hurricane Irene.jpg on Catskills hiking trail after Irene|alt=Large tree trunks and branches lying across a dirt path in the middle of a forest]]

Disastrous flash floods occurred in the northwestern Catskill Mountains, particularly in the town of Margaretville.{{cite news|last=Kinsman|first=Kat|title=Amid devastating New York flooding, a stream of information|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/08/29/new.york.irene.reports/|access-date=2011-08-29|newspaper=Cable Network News|date=2011-09-14}} An elderly woman drowned in creek flooding at Fleischmanns, also in the Catskills. Record flooding along the Schoharie Creek, destroyed the Old Blenheim Bridge, a 156-year-old covered bridge that had been designated a National Historic Landmark.{{cite news |title=Covered Bridges, Beloved Remnants of Another Era, Were Casualties, Too |first=Erik |last=Eckholm |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/us/01bridges.html|newspaper=The New York Times |date=2011-08-31 |access-date=2011-09-14}}

In Windham, WRIP disk jockey Jay Fink stayed on the air for 13 hours, taking calls from trapped residents, disseminating information about shelters that had been opened and playing reassuring music.{{cite news|last=Craig|first=Susanne|title=Radio D.J. in the Catskills Offered a Lifeline During the Storm|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/nyregion/radio-dj-in-catskills-offered-a-lifeline-during-the-storm.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2011-09-04|access-date=2011-09-14}} Prattsville's Main Street has been described as "a total loss" by its town supervisor.{{cite news|title=In Catskill Communities, Survivors Are Left With Little but Their Lives|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/30/nyregion/storm-leave-catskill-towns-little-but-debris.html|access-date=2011-09-14|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2011-08-30|author=Rosenberg, Noah|author2=Applebome, Peter}}

Some other protected areas experienced considerable damage. Along the Shawangunk Ridge, an area popular with rock climbers as well as hikers, two popular recreational areas, the privately owned Mohonk Preserve and the public Minnewaska State Park Preserve, closed some trails and parking lots and allowed only foot use of those that remained open. The annual Survival of the Shawangunks triathlon route had to be shortened by {{convert|7|mi}}.

File:Rte-73-by Ausable Rd-turnoff-2011-after-Irene.jpg, 29 August 2011]]

Irene also did significant damage in the Adirondack Mountains, farther upstate. A section of NY 73 was washed out, isolating the hamlets of Keene and St. Huberts in the High Peaks region of Essex County.{{cite news|last=Rubin|first=Alissa J.|author-link= Alissa J. Rubin |title=In the Adirondacks, Storm-Battered and Cut Off|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/nyregion/tropical-storm-irene-leaves-keene-in-adirondacks-battered-and-cut-off.html|access-date=2011-09-14|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2011-08-31}} DEC reported that "landslides too numerous to count" had taken place on many of the High Peaks themselves, all of which are located on state Forest Preserve land. It closed the Dix and Giant wilderness areas and the eastern zone of the High Peaks Wilderness Area to the public due to the threat of additional landslides and damage to trail infrastructure.{{cite web|title=Adirondack Trail Information|url=http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7865.html|publisher=New York State Department of Environmental Conservation|access-date=2011-09-14}} Marcy Dam was damaged by Irene and Marcy Dam Pond was partially drained.{{cite web|url = http://adirondackexplorer.org/out-takes/2011/08/29/marcy-dam-bridge-washed-away/|title = Marcy Dam bridge washed away|author = Phil Brown|date = 5 October 2011|publisher = Adirondack Explorer|access-date = 1 September 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120625215322/http://adirondackexplorer.org/out-takes/2011/08/29/marcy-dam-bridge-washed-away/|archive-date = 25 June 2012}} On September 8, DEC reopened some trails and trailheads in the High Peaks and Giant areas, warning hikers that there was still major damage in some areas. The same day, it closed all trails on property it managed in the Catskill Park in Greene and Ulster counties.{{cite press release|title=DEC Issues Updated Notice on Trail Conditions & Closures and Campground Closures |url=http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/76945.html |publisher=New York State Department of Environmental Conservation |date=2011-09-08 |access-date=2011-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101135247/http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/76945.html |archive-date=2011-11-01 }}

The MTA initially replaced the trains with bus service to the Ramsey Route 17 station in New Jersey and the Beacon stations on the Hudson Line; some passengers complained that trains departing from the former station were too slow and that the latter was impractical for some commuters. Officials said that they would be refining those arrangements, and were exploring ways to get stock from the yard at the end of the line in Port Jervis to New Jersey so additional trains could be offered in the interim.{{cite news|last=Rife|first=Judy|title=Commuters face post-storm woes|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110905/BIZ/109050323|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=2011-09-05|access-date=2011-09-14}} Later, they announced bus service would be extended to all stations on the line. When it was clear the line between Port Jervis and Harriman had not been damaged as badly as the Ramapo Valley portion between the latter station and Suffern, officials also raised the possibility of restoring train service along that portion. They stressed that Federal Railroad Administration regulations required that all stock would have to be taken to New Jersey and inspected before that could happen.{{cite news|last=Rife|first=Judy|title=Buses on way for rest of Port line|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110908/NEWS/109080337/-1/NEWS|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=2011-09-08|access-date=2011-09-14}} Workers on the line were reassigned to New Jersey in the interim.{{cite news|title=Port line workers assigned to rail lines in New Jersey|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110909/BIZ/110909721/-1/NEWS|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=2011-09-08|access-date=2011-09-14}} On September 16 Metro-North announced it would restore service between Port Jervis and Harriman, so passengers could take the bus to Ramsey Route 17 from there.{{cite news|last=Rife|first=Judy|title=Part of Port line to reopen|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110916/BIZ/109160383|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=September 16, 2011|access-date=September 16, 2011}} Service was restored on the entire line on November 28, 2011, using one track.{{cite web|url=http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/metro-north-port-jervis-line-set-to-resume-service-20111123|title=Metro North Port Jervis Line Set to Resume Service|first=Robert|last=Moses|date=November 23, 2011|access-date=November 24, 2011}}

Rep. Nan Hayworth, whose district includes much of the county, caused controversy when she reportedly said that federal funds for relief would have to be made up for by budget cuts elsewhere.{{cite news|last=Bosch|first=Adam|title=Hayworth seeking to withhold disaster money unless it is offset by budget cuts|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110901%2FNEWS%2F109010338%2F-1%2FNEWS|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=September 1, 2011|access-date=September 22, 2011|quote=Hayworth, R-Mount Kisco, said she would only vote to replenish the federal disaster fund if new spending was offset by budget cuts. She said those cuts should come from 'non-defense discretionary spending.'}} On a visit to Tuxedo, she claimed she had been misquoted by a local newspaper.{{cite news|last=McKenna|first=Chris|title=Hayworth vows aid won't be tied to cuts|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110903/NEWS/109030316|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=2011-09-03|access-date=2011-09-14}}

In mid-September, farmers reported a smaller-than-average harvest of pumpkins in the northeastern United States.{{cite magazine|last=Gibson|first=Megan|date=2011-09-20|title=The Great Pumpkin Shortage: Stormy Summer Limits Supply In Northeast|url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2011/09/20/the-great-pumpkin-shortage-stormy-summer-limits-supply-in-northeast/|magazine=Time|access-date=2012-02-18}} The scope of damage to agriculture in New York was also becoming clearer by that time. Many farmers in the Black Dirt Region were near bankruptcy by that point, and fundraisers were being held to tide them over pending federal disaster relief.{{cite web|title=Warwick Farm Aid Sept. 25, 2011|url=http://www.warwickfarmaid.com/|year=2011|access-date=September 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924053911/http://www.warwickfarmaid.com/|archive-date=September 24, 2011}} Orange County's Cornell Cooperative Extension estimates that half of the county's {{convert|3400|acre}} of cultivated land was damaged, along with $1.5 million in farm infrastructure such as field roads washed away, soil covered in silt and land eroded. In Ulster County, crop losses were estimated at $5 million. One farmer in Kerhonkson found his fields under {{convert|12|ft}} of water from Rondout Creek, enough for him to use personal watercraft on the resulting lake well into September.

Farmers were worried that reports of the damage and crop loss would deter tourists from visiting farm country for traditional autumn activities and purchases, an economic setback which some said would exacerbate the damage from the storm. Many planned to remain open and offer what they could to visitors.{{cite news|last=Horrigan|first=Jeremiah|title=Not all farmers done in by floods|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110919/NEWS/109190327/-1/NEWS|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=September 19, 2011|access-date=September 19, 2011|archive-date=February 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222215131/http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110919%2FNEWS%2F109190327%2F-1%2FNEWS|url-status=dead}} The Catskill Mountain Railroad, which saw some of its narrow gauge tracks washed into the Esopus, planned to offer shorter rides at a reduced price during leaf peeping season, its busiest time of year.{{cite news|last=Bosch|first=Adam|title=Ulster tourist train rolling on|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110919/NEWS/109190324/-1/NEWS|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=September 19, 2011|access-date=September 19, 2011|archive-date=October 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009051914/http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110919%2FNEWS%2F109190324%2F-1%2FNEWS|url-status=dead}}

Flood victims and officials in Tuxedo blamed the Thruway Authority for filling a drainage ditch nearby in order to construct an earthen berm as a noise barrier. "I've been here seven years, and I've never seen water on this side of the road" said one. The influx of water into the river there led to a fuel oil spill from a company on the banks of the river in. By September 2 state officials said it had been contained.{{cite news|last=Sunkin|first=Alyssa|title=DEC: Fuel spill in river contained|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110902/NEWS/109020329/-1/news|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=2011-09-02|access-date=2011-09-14}} The town supervisor, along with Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt and state senator David Carlucci have jointly asked the authority to remove the berm; the agency says it is considering its options.

File:Port Jervis Line tracks damaged by flooding, Sloatsburg, NY.jpg|alt=Two sets of railroad tracks twisted and tilted, with some woody debris on and around them]]

Water rose over portions of the Hudson Line north of New York City, and the tracks were blocked by mudslides in several places.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} Flooding of the Ramapo River led both Metro-North and NJ Transit to suspend service on the Port Jervis Line north of Suffern indefinitely; the line was later found to have more than a half-mile (1 km) of washouts.{{cite web|title=NJ TRANSIT Service Information for Tuesday, August 30|url=http://www.njtransit.com/sa/sa_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=ServiceAdjustmentTo&AdjustmentId=7954|publisher=NJ Transit|date=2011-08-29|access-date=2011-09-14|archive-date=2012-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301161146/http://www.njtransit.com/sa/sa_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=ServiceAdjustmentTo&AdjustmentId=7954|url-status=dead}}

A sinkhole that began forming in Monticello, the seat of Sullivan County, during Irene did not become evident until three weeks later, following further flooding. Village officials called to a small hole in the parking lot of a funeral home downtown found over the course of the following week that the underlying collapse extended to several other nearby properties and two streets. They attributed it to a burst drainage pipe and estimated it could cost $1 million to repair.{{cite news|last=Whitman|first=Victor|title=Monticello sinkhole may cost $1 million to repair|url=http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110916/NEWS/109160390/-1/NEWS|newspaper=Times-Herald Record|date=September 16, 2011|access-date=September 16, 2011}}

In Spring Valley, a man suffered electrocution from downed wires. A woman drowned in a flooded creek while evacuating her home in New Scotland, just southwest of the capital Albany.

{{portal|Tropical cyclones}}

• List of New York hurricanes
• July 2023 Northeastern United States floods – Another significant flood event that impacted New York twelve years later.

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Irene

Category:Hurricane Irene

Category:Articles containing video clips

Irene

Irene NY