Local News from Marbletown, Rochester, & Rosendale
Nature celebrated the nation's 250th anniversary on July 4 a bit too enthusiastically in the Rondout Valley. There were not only thunder and lightning fireworks, but in certain neighborhoods, winds violent enough to send big healthy trees toppling over houses and cars. Power outages were widespread and prolonged.
In a stateement by the Cottekill Fire District, "On July 3 the Cottekill Fire District responded to a report of a tree in the roadway with a crew. While operating on scene, and working to remove the tree from the roadway, Chief Gagnon was struck when a portion of the tree unexpectedly snapped. Fellow Cottekill firefighters, with assistance of the Bloomington Fire District, Marbletown First Aid, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, and Rosendale Police Department immediately initiated life-saving measures. Despite these efforts, Chief David A. Gagnon succumbed to his injuries. His passing is a profound loss to his family, fellow firefighters, the department and the community."
In Tillson, "We had to declare a state of emergency," reported Rosendale Town Supervisor Jeanne Walsh. "All the roads were closed... between Rosendale and Rifton – basically, from that side of 32 all the way to where Builders First Source is," she said.
"That whole neighborhood got hit…every single property had trees down. It was devastating... just very very intense in that small area. All the roads were blocked back there. If you take a drive through the neighborhood, you'll still see some of the effects... Four homes had to be posted condemned because they weren't safe to live in. Some people lost their cars. Just lots and lots of damage.
"We couldn't get rid of any of the trees that were on the road until Central Hudson came in and got the hot wires off the ground. Our highway superintendent [Robert Gallagher] got several other municipalities to send manpower over, the Town of Lloyd, Town of Ulster, Town of Olive, Town of Marbletown. They helped clear the roads and get the debris out of there." The storm happened Saturday night, and "they basically cleaned up until Friday.
"This particular part of the area was somehow targeted for more intense winds. The state sent someone, and they said it was 70 to 90 mph winds... I have to give big kudos to so many of the staff that came through… Our chief of police was out there, monitoring closed roads, and our highway department went above and beyond. A lot of people pitched in. We opened our rec center for people who didn't have power and we opened the bathhouse for showers."
An email address has been set up, stormdamageinfo@townofrosendaleny.gov, so that Rosendale and Tillson residents can send photos and lists of damages. "I'm trying to get them some low-interest loans if they need them. But I have to have at least 25 homes that respond."
Part of the Town of Rochester was also especially hard hit. Lene Fornino, who lives near the Marbletown line, drove around after the storm passed to see what had happened.
"I couldn't believe how it would only hit in certain spots. For example, on Samsonville Road, towards the 209 end of Samsonville, there were some branches and debris in the road, but not downed trees. But as you started to go towards Upper Samsonville, towards Schwabe Turnpike and that area, that is exactly where it got hammered.
I have a friend who is a meter reader, and he was saying that the amount of outages in our area was insane... he said that Boodle Hole was the road with the worst amount of damage, and I believe that was the last road that they were able to get new poles up and restore the power to."
Town Supervisor Erin Enouen listed some other roads where there was a lot of damage: Mettacahonts, Upper Cherrytown, Schwabe Turnpike, Cedar Drive, Rochester Center and City Hall roads, delineating an area roughly in the center of Rochester.
"Van Tine for sure," Fornino added. "When I saw Van Tine that night, you wouldn't even know there was a road there because of the amount of trees that were down... also people lost cars. The following day, I went to A and M Hardware, and there were people going in there getting chainsaws and such. One of the customers said that they lost not one but two of their vehicles on Mettacahonts.
"People are putting in insurance claims because trees went through their houses... a lot of people were saying it was just damaging winds. But if you look at the way the trees came down, and the fact that these were live trees – they were completely uprooted. There had to be like a tornado or like a microburst of some sort."
According to weather.gov, "A microburst is a localized column of sinking air (downdraft) within a thunderstorm and is usually less than or equal to 2.5 miles in diameter." When it reaches the ground, wind explodes in all directions, sometimes reaching 100 miles per hour.
"No one was expecting it to be as bad as it was," reflected Fornino. "I think that's the craziest part... I know the fire department at Accord, they got the most calls they've ever gotten in that period of time, they said it was at least 60."
Supervisor Enouen advised residents who want to send official documentation of damages suffered to visit the Town of Rochester website or the Facebook page for information about where to send it.
