News stories tagged with "emergency"

(02/15/12) More than five months after tropical storm Irene sent floodwaters surging through the Adirondacks, families and communities still face some tough decisions.

Tomorrow night in the town of Jay, residents will meet with state and Federal officials to talk about a buy-out program that could help people relocate out of the flood plains along the Ausable and Boquet Rivers. The meeting to talk about the flood plain buy out program is scheduled for 7 pm tomorrow night at the Jay town community center in Ausable Forks.

More than sixty families in Essex County have expressed interest in the buy-out. Brian Mann checked in yesterday with Randy Douglas, town supervisor in Jay and head of the county's board of supervisors. Douglas says the number of people considering relocation continues to grow.

(01/06/12) Governor Andrew Cuomo used his state of the state address yesterday to lay out a broad new vision for improving emergency and flood response planning.

The governor called for dozens of flood-control projects to move forward. The plan drew praise from Adirondack leaders still reeling from tropical storm Irene. But as Brian Mann reports, towns say they also need more direct financial aid. more

(10/24/11) The cell tower building boom in the Adirondacks has slowed this year. Applications to the Adirondack Park Agency are down - the agency has only issued nine permits or amendments for cell projects as of early October.

That's a big drop when compared to last year: 28 projects, and 2009, when the APA approved 27. Despite the trend, cell service providers say they're still planning to grow their wireless networks in the Park. Chris Knight reports. more

(08/31/11) The clean-up effort is still in its early stages, with many homes in the North Country still without water or electricity. But now that Federal aid is on the way, local leaders, business owners and residents also face some tough, long-term questions.

How to pay for the recovery is one daunting challenge, but painful decisions also have to be made about how and where to rebuild. Brian Mann has this story from the town of Jay, NY. more

(08/30/11) Clean-up efforts area already underway in parts of the North Country slammed by tropical storm Irene. Congressman Bill Owens will be to looking at damage in the town of Jay this morning along with town supervisor Randy Douglas

But in many areas, wreckage and debris are strewn through whole communities.

In the Washington County village of Greenwich, meanwhile, neighborhoods have been evacuated because cracks were found yesterday in a dam on the Batten Kill River.

Village Mayor David Doonan told the Glens Falls Post Star that it isn't clear whether the cracks were present before the storm. An inspection of the dam by state officials is planned for today.

As Brian Mann reports, communities across the North Country are still taking stock, trying to sort out just how far-reaching the damage from Irene will be.

(08/30/11) Rep. Bill Owens is expected in Upper Jay and Ausable Forks this morning to survey the impact of flash flooding with Town Supervisor Randy Douglas.

The two communities are on the banks of the East Branch of the Ausable are used to spring flooding and high waters in heavy rains. But Brian Mann describes a scene in Upper Jay that shocked even old-timers. He spoke with Martha Foley this morning.

(08/29/11) New Yorkers are watching rising creeks and rivers this morning. The Associated Press reports more than 900,000 homes were without power, more National Guard soldiers were deployed to clean-ups, and major highways and roads remained closed.

At least three deaths were blamed on the tropical storm. One thousand National Guard troops deployed over the weekend are to be augmented Monday with more engineers to help clear streets and debris and restore power.

Irene was no longer a hurricane by the time it hit the North Country counties, but it still packed a powerful punch. As of 10:30 last night, dozens of roads in Essex County were closed, the county's emergency radio system was off the air, many people remained stranded by high water and the county was in a state of emergency.

More than 100 roads in the county are closed because of flooding, washouts and high water threatening bridges. While the damage was widespread, County Emergency Services Director Don Jaquish said Keene and Keene Valley were hit the hardest. The Keene fire station was swept away by the floodwaters. "It's been washed away," Jacquish said last night.

People in Keene and Keene Valley had evacuated and Jacquish's crews were preparing evacuations in Upper Jay. He anticipated severe flooding in the hamlet of AuSable Forks, calling the crest of the East branch of the Ausable "unprecedented."

Brian Mann was in Keene early this morning. Talking with Martha Foley, he described a community devastated by the flash flooding. more

(08/26/11) Visit our Hurricane Irene page (link below) for live updates from Twitter and visitors to NCPR

The National Weather Service has issued a hurricane watch and a flood watch for Long Island, New York City and Rockland, Westchester and Putnam counties. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within the next 48 hours. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected decide by late today whether people will need to evacuate.

Cuomo cancelled a fundraiser scheduled for last night and a planned vacation in the Adirondacks to return to the Capitol to prepare for the storm. The governor say he hopes the advance preparation will enable the stat to face the storm "in a calm and organized manner." Martha Foley has more. more

(06/06/11) Federal Emergency Management come in when major natural disasters hit, but few people know they provide aid for much less dramatic emergencies through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program.

Earlier this year, however, FEMA told expectant organizations that they don't know when -- or if -- they can expect the money. more

(06/02/11) Scientists say the record-breaking landslide on Little Porter Mountain in Keene Valley is still on the move, driven by last weekend's heavy rains.

The disaster hasn't caused any injuries, but a half-dozen homes are threatened.

Martha Foley has an update. more