All contents lost
Eileen and Dennis Weiss of Sawkill Road find themselves feeling blessed to have lost nearly everything. “We did lose everything in the house, which was not insured aside from the structure,” said Weiss. “We lost out living room furniture, bedroom furniture. The good news is that they will rip out structural walls, dry it out and repair flooring and repair the walls. Basically, there are people so much worse off than me … so much worse than me that I really can’t complain.” Weiss described the horror scene of 18 inches of water running through their home of 33 years — so turbulent that it splashed up into her brand-new kitchen cabinets; so voluminous that two gallons poured out of her stove. Water so filthy that her refrigerator was caked in thick mud.
“People don’t understand that yes there’s damage from water, but when the water recedes, it’s left with mud,” she said. The family is currently split up, each parent living with a different daughter. Compounding the Weiss’ dilemmas is managing the care of an elderly, wheelchair-bound aunt with special needs.
The Woodcrest Community in Rifton, commonly and formerly known as the Bruderhof, came and helped the entire decimated area with the cleanup, Weiss reported, helping overwhelmed residents remove bulk furniture, pull-out drenched carpets and salvage whatever remained. “They wouldn’t even take a sip of cold water until all of the work was done,” she noted. Weiss had a storage pod in which some of her spared belongings were stashed, though photos and invaluable family possessions all seemed to be lost.
SPCA could have used an ark
Brian Shapiro, executive director of the Ulster County SPCA said that they evacuated 250 animals — 50 of whom were dogs — into a warehouse owned by a private supporter after receiving a phone call warning of the perils. The SPCA facility on Wiedy Road in the Town of Ulster, he reported, became a literal island so inaccessible that shelter volunteers used two boats to get to and from the building for days after. The next door neighbor’s trailer was three-quarters submerged under waters, Shapiro said. He was thrilled to report that every animal survived, and is now back at the shelter awaiting their “forever home.”
Damage to kennels, fencing and more are evident, he said, but that’s what insurance companies are for. The shelter’s greatest need is simple donations. “The public has been so incredibly supportive that small donations would helpful at this point,” he said. “We do not receive any money from the county. SPCA is small, independent shelter. Right now, we need money most. Ten-dollar checks. We have a website where people can make donations: Ucspca.org The public has been so helpful this difficult time. We don’t receive money from the county, so this kind of support is critical for us to be able handle situations like this properly, which we thankfully did with so much help.”
Down on the Rondout, Dave Lowrie, Trolley Museum administrator, reported on the scene there. “Like most of the Rondout, the Trolley Museum endured flooding of three to four feet in the rail yard, although considerably less in the car barn,” Lowrie said. Volunteers cleared approximately two-dozen rail ties from the tracks in the yard, downed brush from tracks that run to Kingston Point and lifted two passenger platforms about 50 feet back into place within three days to return to business as usual for Labor Day weekend, including sold-out ridership during Sunday’s Hooley on the Hudson.
The Children’s Home of Kingston was without power most of the week as well, reported director Gwen McCann, and borrowed a generator to be able to run sump pumps and water heaters for the kids to be able to shower. The kids did pretty well, we tried to keep them involved and outside during week,” she said. “They were playing outside and doing carts and crafts and busy. They did really well — I was surprised.” McCann said that the week involved a lot of sandwiches, until Riccardi’s Hideaway restaurant delivered a pasta dish one day. Kids who could be sent home to their families were, and their medications were over nighted, McCann added. The power was restored several days before Central Hudson’s ominous prediction of Sunday, much to her delight.
Schupp: We were ready
City Department of Public Works Superintendent Mike Schupp said that good preparation is what kept the worst damage at bay. Sandbags, strategic hay bales and clean drainage grates on culverts made the world of difference, he said. In fact, Kingston was so well-managed he said that they were able to send three trucks to Phoenicia and Shandaken to help out.
