fbpx
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Print Edition
    • Get Home Delivery
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Submit Your Event
    • Customer Support
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Send Letter to the Editor
    • Where’s My Paper?
  • Our Newsletters
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
Hudson Valley One
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s UP
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Subscribe to the What’s UP newsletter
  • Opinion
    • Letters
    • Columns
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Log Out
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s UP
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Subscribe to the What’s UP newsletter
  • Opinion
    • Letters
    • Columns
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Log Out
No Result
View All Result
Hudson Valley One
No Result
View All Result

Kingstonians tell their storm stories

by Carrie Jones Ross
September 10, 2011
in News
0

Kingston’s citizens are still suffering the aftermath of the ravishing floods which brought the city to its knees. The storm called Irene, once a hurricane but a tropical storm by the time it hit here, brought with her turbulent, muddy waters to homes and businesses, creeks and flats.

With many residents not seeing the light of Central Hudson until Friday or Saturday, the past seven days for most ranged from annoyingly inconveniencing to severely compromised. Some cited ruinous floods as the root cause of their problems, while others claim their sanity was nearly lost to a week-long power outage.

The 104 units of Alexander Yosman Tower on Broadway lost their power the Saturday morning (Aug. 27) of the hurricane, explained resident Debbie Hannigan, much to the panic and fear of many elderly residents who, like Hannigan, are disabled. Hannigan reported eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the week and lamented losing over $80 of food in her fridge. “One woman’s daughter called ahead and said that she was coming with homemade brownies still warm from the oven,” said Hannigan. “And we were all like, ‘Yes! Warm food!’”

Hannigan explained that residents mostly subsisted on boxed cereals and quarts of milk bought daily since there was no way of keeping it chilled. Hannigan stored bowls and pots filled with bagged ice to chill her milk and cheese in her otherwise-useless refrigerator. Worse was the peril posed to Hannigan when she had to transition back to walking from her motorized wheelchair, which she couldn’t charge.  “I have spinal stenosis too,” she added. “I am disabled and I was afraid of falling. I have a power chair but I couldn’t keep it charged. I almost fell in my kitchen and water got my floor and I didn’t know it … I took a shower in the dark. The water seemed to be on the warm side, as long as you didn’t use it a lot” she explained. “The majority of the time we were in bed by dark.”

Dennis and Eileen Weiss sit atop their life's possessions destroyed in the flood.

Hannigan reported the tower’s generator had one elevator working and when the lights came back on Friday afternoon, the building whooped with joy. Saturday night was another blackout, she added, bringing about an anxiety attack for herself and her cat after suffering through the last darkness, and cursing the dark for that she had just bought food. Fortunately, by morning the power was once again restored, and has remained so.

Speaking of refrigerator woes, Alison and Matt Rykowski of Rykowski Livestock Farm in Rosendale thanked God that they were spared from the flood, but faced losing thousands of pounds of meat — their livelihood. “My brother is a welder and we used his welder to power the house and freezers full of meat,” she explained. “We had 12 freezers full and a freezer truck box.” They went from Sunday through Saturday without electric, and used a generator to be able to pump water to feed their animals. “[Downed trees] blocked our driveway, and we had to cut the tree to get out of the driveway. We couldn’t get to the barn. We had to find a way to the Binnewater barn because the roads were so bad. Binnewater Road was really bad … highest we have ever seen the Rondout. It was maybe two feet to the bridge bearings.”

Page 1 of 3
123Next
Tags: Irene recoveryUlster County SPCA
Join the family! Grab a free month of HV1 from the folks who have brought you substantive local news since 1972. We made it 50 years thanks to support from readers like you. Help us keep real journalism alive.
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher

Carrie Jones Ross

Related Posts

Macroburst: How the county handled the storm
News

Hail storm knocks out power across Hudson Valley

July 3, 2025
Rhinebeck fire department rookie charged with five felonies for alleged false incident reports
News

Update: Arrest made after illegal fireworks cause structure fire in Kingston

July 3, 2025
Police departments, rescue squads reorganize for socially distanced first response
Politics & Government

Eminent-domain powers tested in appellate court

July 3, 2025
State trooper fatally shoots Tannersville man on I-84
News

Stone Ridge man dies in motorcycle accident

July 3, 2025
Words aplenty fly in Woodstock primary
Politics & Government

Likely new Wooodstock town supervisor sweeps Democratic primary

July 2, 2025
Car crash in New Paltz claims life of Lloyd resident
News

Car crash in New Paltz claims life of Lloyd resident

July 2, 2025
Next Post
World Trade Center tragedy effects felt locally, nationally

Ten years later, Chris Hardej won’t forget his 82nd floor flight to freedom

Weather

Kingston, NY
79°
Mostly Cloudy
5:26 am8:35 pm EDT
Feels like: 82°F
Wind: 5mph S
Humidity: 78%
Pressure: 29.98"Hg
UV index: 3
TueWedThu
86°F / 68°F
86°F / 66°F
82°F / 66°F
powered by Weather Atlas

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.

  • Subscribe & Support
  • Print Edition
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
  • Our Newsletters
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial

© 2022 Ulster Publishing

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Art
    • Books
    • Kids
    • Lifestyle & Wellness
    • Food & Drink
    • Music
    • Nature
    • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Support
    • Advertise
    • Submit A News Tip
  • Print Edition
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
    • Where’s My Paper
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Log In
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Subscribe to Our Newsletters
    • Hey Kingston
    • New Paltz Times
    • Woodstock Times
    • Week in Review

© 2022 Ulster Publishing