Hurricane Irene Did a Number on the Catskills
You guys, do NOT tell my mother about the horrifyingly irresponsible and probably illegal things I did to get home today. Hurricane Irene was not kind to the Catskills region.
Water over the road on Route 17
A little deeper than it looked.
Water still pouring onto the road.
Can't believe the extent of the flooding.
Looking in the rearview mirror at the little Toyota that stalled out in the middle of the water.
Crap. Seriously? That was the little flood? There's something worse up ahead?
Broken law #1? Driving the wrong way up the on-ramp to avoid the flood (everyone else was doing it, too. That makes it legal-ish).
Rubbernecking at all the fools on 17 trying to drive through the flood, as we head East on the side road.
Route 17 totally flooded.
Cars waterlogged on 17.
Hmm...the washed out rocks look ominous.
Joke's on us. Side street is as flooded as 17 AND there's a tree down blocking the road. Back to Route 17 for us.
This is approximately the point when I started imagining us sitting on top of our car hoping for helicopter rescue as we floated away.
Made it safely through flooding on 17. Only to discover that every single route home was blocked. Opted for 6 through Bear Mountain. Broken law #2.
This used to be Palisades Parkway. Now, it's nothing.
It took about four hours, and multiple, multiple detours, but we did make it home safely. No helicopter rescues needed. Possibly a few road barricades treated as “suggestions” rather than “mandates” (but everyone else was doing it, too, so it was mostly legal). There’s some water in the basement, and the power is flickering. No idea when I’m going to be able to get back into the city for work. But from what we saw today, it looks like Hurricane Irene was much harder on the Catskills than she was on northern New Jersey.
All photos taken on Route 17 & 6 by David Binkowski (@dbinkowski) while I safely kept my hands on the wheel at 10 & 2.
Addtional coverage of the flooding:
Guard Rescues 21 at Flooded Motel
Flash Flooding in the Catskills From Hurricane Irene
Record Online has some of the most comprehensive coverage
Posted under I am an asshole, It is a miracle I don't drink more often, photo, Shit I actually wrote instead of just transcribing what my kid said by Laugh, Mom
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Holy shitballs.
by: Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing], Aug 29th at 12:01 am
OMG and thanks for affirming my decision NOT to drive up to my summer bungalow in Monroe (exit 130 off of Rt 17) today.
by: Bungalow Babe, Aug 29th at 12:09 am
So glad you all survived Irene. Hope you aren’t too hungover!
by: AmazingGreis, Aug 29th at 2:45 am
yeah – it’s pretty awful. roads and bridges out all over. a friend of ours broke her ankle early sunday, and only got helicoptered out monday afternoon. where my father’s house is, they’re saying no power for A MONTH.
by: magpie, Aug 31st at 2:22 pm