“We were very, very lucky,” Gretzinger said. “We’re glad things came back as quickly as they did.”
Disaster declaration
From the direction of Washington, D.C., significant assistance is coming. President Obama on Wednesday declared Ulster a disaster area, making it eligible for federal funding. County Executive Hein said the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, will soon be on the scene setting up disaster assistance centers and he’s asking for the first one to be set up at the Belleayre Ski Center, where displaced people from the hardest-hit towns of Shandaken, Olive, Hardenburgh and Denning are taking refuge. Hein urged people with damage to file quick claims with their insurance companies and FEMA; a link to the FEMA website is on the county website at ulstercountyny.gov. FEMA can also be reached at 1-800-621-3362.
Also pledging help, said Hein, is the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, which has offered “a long list of individuals and equipment” to Ulster, to be placed under the command of the county Highway Department. Equipment that’s already in the area is immediately available, Hein said; more gear coming up from the city should be here by Friday.
County Emergency Management Director Art Snyder said the focus on Wednesday was getting to people in Shandaken, Hardenburgh and Denning who remained isolated. Snyder added that while rescues were still going on, recovery had started too, aided by Obama’s declaration — those on hand Wednesday thanked Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his swift action. “Never before have I seen a declaration come through in this amount of time.” Snyder said Ulster is now eligible for “Individual Assistance” and “Public Assistance” — both regular people and local governments can apply to FEMA for money.
Power still out for thousands
Central Hudson spokesman John Maserjian said that as of Wednesday afternoon, some 23,000 customers in Ulster remained without power, down from the peak of about 60,000. He pegged what is called the “global restoration time” — the point when 90 percent would have their electricity back — as Sunday, Sept. 4 at 11 p.m., but added that not everyone would be back in service by then. Maserjian said estimated restoration times for individual communities are posted on the company’s Storm Central map on its website.
