Irene and the Adirondacks: Devastating My Hometown
I'm keeping this unlocked because I want people to link to this.
Irene was a bitch. I cannot describe the damage it's done to Upstate NY, particularly the Adirondack region (and Vermont, but it's my hometown is most immediate to me). The storm wasn't the bad part. It is the after party that really hurts.
The story seems to be "Thank God NYC was spared!!!" And while this is true (the cost in lives could have been horrible), it's not the only truth. All I can say is that while I survived (less my internet connection - it's fried and I won't have regular access until next week which is very mild compared to everything else), a lot of people I know are in so much trouble. My parents and relatives were cut off for a while (they're fine). The places of my childhood have flooded, and I don't know if they will come back.
You have to understand the region to get what this storm did. This is a sparsely populated area that is very poor. There's lots of second homes, but the residents are some of the poorest in NY state. Travel is difficult - most depends on main thoroughfares, and when they're cut off, things go to hell. Roads, bridges, house, businesses - flooded. The downtown of my hometown was gutted, and that's half the businesses. The Keene Fire Department was literally washed away (this is the town next to us). There's few permanent news sources in the region, so I'm not sure how much publicity this is getting.
Thing is? This is the second major flood this year for Clinton and Essex Counties. In May, there was some serious flooding in the same region, and a lot of the businesses didn't reopen until July. Now this - the economy is devastated. The region didn't qualify for flood relief the first time around since it was only for the three counties... not a "big enough" disaster to manage or give federal emergency status to.
If you're thinking about donating, donate through the The American Red Cross. My local charity of choice is the The North Country SPCA (because the a LOT of people are going to be having to surrender their pets). There's very few other charitable donations in the region that are equipped to have "hands on, boots on the ground" relief efforts. The other organization which has potential (in my experience) is the local United Way - it probably won't help with immediate issues much, but there are a lot of long term issues.
I don't even know how to speak about this. I'm just too tired to cry and too overwhelmed to feel anything but depressed. I'm not looking for sympathy - I'm looking to raise awareness of the people not just in Vermont, but in my hometown region. I'm not sure what else has been done - my internet is very limited. I'm worried that this will get pushed aside as the nation finishes "cleaning up."
Edit: Someone just linked me to an issue about one of the local libraries being severely damaged. This library, the Upper Jay Library, is the heart of this community (there is literally no other public gathering spot in this town).
If you have questions about a local charity in Essex (and potentially Clinton County) about their rep or what their value is, ask it. I'll get back to you shortly - please have patience for my lack of internet service.
Irene was a bitch. I cannot describe the damage it's done to Upstate NY, particularly the Adirondack region (and Vermont, but it's my hometown is most immediate to me). The storm wasn't the bad part. It is the after party that really hurts.
The story seems to be "Thank God NYC was spared!!!" And while this is true (the cost in lives could have been horrible), it's not the only truth. All I can say is that while I survived (less my internet connection - it's fried and I won't have regular access until next week which is very mild compared to everything else), a lot of people I know are in so much trouble. My parents and relatives were cut off for a while (they're fine). The places of my childhood have flooded, and I don't know if they will come back.
You have to understand the region to get what this storm did. This is a sparsely populated area that is very poor. There's lots of second homes, but the residents are some of the poorest in NY state. Travel is difficult - most depends on main thoroughfares, and when they're cut off, things go to hell. Roads, bridges, house, businesses - flooded. The downtown of my hometown was gutted, and that's half the businesses. The Keene Fire Department was literally washed away (this is the town next to us). There's few permanent news sources in the region, so I'm not sure how much publicity this is getting.
Thing is? This is the second major flood this year for Clinton and Essex Counties. In May, there was some serious flooding in the same region, and a lot of the businesses didn't reopen until July. Now this - the economy is devastated. The region didn't qualify for flood relief the first time around since it was only for the three counties... not a "big enough" disaster to manage or give federal emergency status to.
If you're thinking about donating, donate through the The American Red Cross. My local charity of choice is the The North Country SPCA (because the a LOT of people are going to be having to surrender their pets). There's very few other charitable donations in the region that are equipped to have "hands on, boots on the ground" relief efforts. The other organization which has potential (in my experience) is the local United Way - it probably won't help with immediate issues much, but there are a lot of long term issues.
I don't even know how to speak about this. I'm just too tired to cry and too overwhelmed to feel anything but depressed. I'm not looking for sympathy - I'm looking to raise awareness of the people not just in Vermont, but in my hometown region. I'm not sure what else has been done - my internet is very limited. I'm worried that this will get pushed aside as the nation finishes "cleaning up."
Edit: Someone just linked me to an issue about one of the local libraries being severely damaged. This library, the Upper Jay Library, is the heart of this community (there is literally no other public gathering spot in this town).
If you have questions about a local charity in Essex (and potentially Clinton County) about their rep or what their value is, ask it. I'll get back to you shortly - please have patience for my lack of internet service.