{"id":22,"date":"2018-04-16T13:50:18","date_gmt":"2018-04-16T13:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eegoode.expressions.syr.edu\/sp18\/?page_id=22"},"modified":"2018-05-04T20:52:40","modified_gmt":"2018-05-04T20:52:40","slug":"the-lasting-effects-of-flooding-our-complex-relationship-with-water-in-the-catskill-mountains","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/eegoode.expressions.syr.edu\/sp18\/environmental-responses\/the-lasting-effects-of-flooding-our-complex-relationship-with-water-in-the-catskill-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"The Echoes of a Flood"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Foretaste of Climate Change in the Catskills<\/strong><\/h1>\n

By Robin Glas<\/p>\n

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March 29, 2018. Historical Building in Downtown Prattsville, NY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The day after the flood, the town was gone, its citizens displaced, rescued, and reunited in a church on a hill, where they found shelter and food.\u00a0 Volunteers from around the country, the National Guard, FEMA, and disaster relief operations flocked to the area in the following weeks and months. \u00a0Families were living in churches while layers of mud were shoveled from their living rooms at home. <\/em><\/p>\n

Time passed, and the cleanup and rebuilding continued.\u00a0 Volunteer numbers began to wane, and homes were raised on new, higher foundations as months turned into years.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

The flood had reverberating effects on the town of Prattsville, NY.\u00a0 The storm created stronger community bonds. <\/em>But it also left residents traumatized and resulted in legal difficulties that continue to this day, more than six \u00a0years later.<\/em><\/p>\n

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In August of 2011, Tropical Storm Irene made landfall in the Northeastern United States, infused with enough cyclone energy to reach and devastate the inland mountain areas of New York State and Vermont.\u00a0 Prattsville, a small town of approximately 700 residents situated near the Schoharie Creek of the Catskill Mountains, was hit the worst by the storm.<\/p>\n

Pastor Charlie Gockel remembers the night of the flood, when he and his wife, Tina, helped 110 people escape the disaster by housing them at the Huntersfield Christian Training Center, a mountain retreat nearby, dedicated to Christian education and community outreach.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first week after the flood, most people stayed,\u201d Gockel said. \u201cThe last family moved out a week before Christmas that year.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the days and weeks following the flood, residents of the Schoharie Valley turned to their local churches for support.\u00a0 Many residents began to attend church regularly and participate in community events led by Pastor Gockel \u201cIn the beginning, peoples\u2019 hearts were opened,\u201d Gockel said, referring to a touching moment when they led a prayer in the supermarket parking lot on the second day after the flood.<\/p>\n

\u201cDefinitely everyone was thinking about the Lord,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But as time passed, religious enthusiasm waned throughout the community.\u00a0 As months turned into years, fewer town residents were attending church and reaching out to religious community leaders.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven to this day it wanes away,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The remaining spiritual echoes of Irene in Prattsville take the form of improved relationships between the different spiritual centers, merging and uniting churches and community outreach efforts. \u201cThe flood broke down the walls between the churches\u201d, Gockel said.<\/p>\n

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March 29, 2018. A house on a new rasied foundation in downtown Prattsville<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In this region, churches serve as primary community response centers.\u00a0 The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approached Pastor Gockel directly with instructional materials for disaster response in an effort to sustainably support local town leaders and stabilize grassroots recovery efforts.<\/p>\n

Many families did not have flood insurance.\u00a0 The funds granted by FEMA to residents were dramatically insufficient to both clean up and rebuild, especially while meeting stricter flood protection measures.\u00a0 Roughly a million dollars were raised and donated by churches all over the country to help families bridge this gap in funding requirements.<\/p>\n

Prattsville and the rest of the Schoharie valley are still reverberating from the flood in other sectors such as government, NGOs, and water management.<\/p>\n

Climate change and inland flooding: was Irene a \u2018new normal\u2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the Northeastern United States, scientists project that heavy rainstorms will become more frequent in the future, if current levels of greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels continue. \u00a0For the Catskill region, average rainfall amounts have risen by more than 20 percent since 1970, and the probability that hurricanes and tropical storms will reach this far inland will increase as cyclones gain energy in a warmer future.<\/p>\n

The mountainous area of the Catskills is at further risk for flooding because of its high elevation.\u00a0 Tropical systems making their way up the coast spend most of their time above sea level.\u00a0 When the storm is forced upward by the mountainous highlands, precipitation increases even more because of the colder temperatures higher up.<\/p>\n

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March 29, 2018.\u00a0 Flood Evacuation Sign Near Minekill, NY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This means that the Schoharie Valley towns like Plattsville and other flood-prone areas of the Catskills will see a higher frequency of high flood levels.\u00a0 Efforts are currently underway by state and local lawmakers to ensure that flood readiness is a priority, considering the risks associated with climate change.<\/p>\n

The New York Power Authority is due for a 50-year relicensing in 2019, and they have agreed to pay the towns of Blenheim and Gilboa $70 million over the next 50 years to compensate for local services and for hosting the project.\u00a0 The rest of Schoharie County will not be receiving any compensation, even though they provide county- level services to the hydroelectric station such as policing and road maintenance.<\/p>\n

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March 29, 2018. Flood warning sign near the NYPA Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So far, no dam reinforcement related to flood mitigation has been outlined in the new licensing plan.\u00a0 This does not sit well with Schoharie County, particularly in the face of climate change and higher precipitation levels into the next century that are predicted by scientists.<\/p>\n

Six years and eight months: bridging resilience<\/strong><\/p>\n

The small towns throughout the Schoharie Valley contain many historical buildings and landmarks that were devastated by Irene, the most notable the longest single-span covered bridge in the country, which was built in 1829 in the town of Blenheim and was completely washed away in 2011.<\/p>\n

This month, more than six years after the storm, a $5 million replica of the Blenheim Bridge built by local contractors and funded by FEMA was erected in its place, although the new bridge is more than 20 feet higher to accommodate new flood bank levels.<\/p>\n

New flood levels have made their mark throughout the Schoharie valley, visible in higher building foundations, \u00a0\u00a0wider bridges, and a heightened awareness among local citizens of flood evacuation plans intended. to prevent the type of devastating losses and damages that were brought by Tropical Storm Irene.<\/p>\n

Over time, the effects from the flood have echoed through all facets of life for the residents of Prattsville and other Schoharie valley towns.\u00a0\u00a0 For Pastor Gockel, these six years have brought wisdom and experience with flood emergency management, relief, and recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve learned a lot from the process, so we know what works, what helps, and what doesn\u2019t,\u201d he said. \u201cBut a flood of that magnitude, still, how do you really<\/em> prepare for that?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photos by Robin Glas<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tTimeline of Irene\u2019s Influence: Social and economic echoes of the flood\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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April 2012<\/h3>\n
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Flood sirens throughout the valley have been repaired, costing $220,000.\u00a0 The warning sirens that are normally activated if there is a danger of dam failure were overcome by the flood created by Irene. The Gilboa dam holds 19 million gallons of water, and dam failure would be catastrophic for the valley.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

October\u00a0 2012<\/h3>\n
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Hurricane Sandy strikes the Schoharie Valley, and the New York Power Authority agreed to lower reservoir levels in anticipation of the storm to prevent catastrophic flooding.\u00a0 Although residents were well prepared for another devastating flood, Sandy did not bring levels anywhere near those of Irene and the valley was spared.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

January 2013<\/h3>\n
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A group of lawsuits were filed<\/a> by citizens of the Schoharie Valley against the New York Power Authority and the Department of Environmental Protection. The suits claimed that\u00a0 the authorities should have taken flood protection measures for citizens both up and downstream of the dams during Irene, and asked for for more than $115 million in damages. Plaintiffs included the \u201cmunicipalities\u201d of Middleburgh Central School District, the town of Fulton, and Schoharie County.\u00a0 Two additional lawsuits were filed by private land owners and corporations in the Schoharie valley.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

October 2014<\/h3>\n
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All municipalities discontinued their lawsuits against NYPA.\u00a0 Only two actions remain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

August 2017<\/h3>\n
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Town officials of Prattsville were subpoenaed<\/a> by state and federal investigators for documents pertaining to the misuse of portions of more than five million dollars in disaster relief funds.\u00a0 The investigation involves the FBI and the state comptroller\u2019s office, and is currently still under way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

April 2018<\/h3>\n
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Schoharie County Long Term (SALT) executive director Sarah Goodrich stepped down.\u00a0 This nonprofit recovery organization was able to help more than 600 families and bring millions of dollars in grants to rebuild in the wake of Irene and Lee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Foretaste of Climate Change in the Catskills By Robin Glas The day after the flood, the town was gone, its citizens displaced, rescued, and reunited in a church on a hill, where they found shelter and food.\u00a0 Volunteers from around the country, the National Guard, FEMA, and disaster relief operations flocked to the area … <\/p>\n

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