As Hurricane Irene chugs offshore of Florida this morning, the state of New York is locking down in preparation for what could be widespread power outages and flooding caused by up to 10 inches of rain when the storm hits our region tomorrow night.
The State of New York has already declared a state of emergency in advance of the storm. The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for all of eastern upstate New York, according to NY-Alert:
...Flood Watch In Effect From Saturday Evening Through Late Sunday Night... The National Weather Service In Albany Has Issued A * Flood Watch For All Of Eastern Upstate New York And Adjacent Western New England. * From Saturday Evening Through Late Sunday Night. * Hurricane Irene Will Track Just Off The Mid Atlantic Coast Saturday Night And Sunday...Moving Into New England Sunday Night. Rain Will Over Spread The Region From Southeast To Northwest Saturday Night. Heavy Wind Driven Rain Is Likely On Sunday. Widespread Rainfall Amounts Of 4 To 7 Inches Are Likely. Localized Amounts Over The Higher Terrain Of The Catskills...Berkshires ..Litchfield Hills And Green Mountains Could Reach 10 Inches. * If This Amount Of Rain Occurs Many Main Stem Rivers Would Flood. Flash Flooding May Also Be A Threat Where Heavier Rain Bands Occur.
For Ulster and Dutchess counties, there is a Tropical Storm Watch in effect warning of 40 to 70 mile-per-hour winds, downed power lines, and widespread flooding, according to NY-Alert.
The New York Department of Environmental Conversation has closed all hiking and backcountry trails throughout most of the state, including all parks in the Lower Hudson Valley and in Catskill Park.
New York City reservoirs lying in the path of the storm -- namely the Pepacton, the Ashokan, and the Neversink -- are being triaged by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection to lower their levels before Irene hits. DEP commissioner Paul Rush emailed this statement yesterday:
“We are doing everything we can in advance of the storm, and are working closely with Ulster County and other communities to help mitigate flooding. Following a request from Ulster County and the Town of Hurley, and with the agreement of the State Department of Environmental Conservation, DEP will activate the Ashokan Release Channel starting this afternoon and continue releasing water as long as necessary to mitigate the impacts of the expected storm and based on the downstream flow.”
Yesterday, DEP announced that it increased the water release rates from the Neversink and Pepacton reservoirs. The increased releases enhance the reservoirs’ ability to absorb storm inflow and are provided for in the Flexible Flow Management Plan that went into effect on June 1, 2011. The plan is intended to provide a more adaptive means for managing the Cannonsville, Pepacton, and Neversink reservoirs. DEP will continue higher releases as needed and began releasing water at both reservoirs Tuesday, August 24, at approximately 3 pm. At Pepacton, DEP is currently releasing approximately 453 million gallons a day; and at Neversink DEP is currently releasing approximately 123 million gallons of water a day—both rates are the maximum rates for each reservoir permitted under the plan.
Art Snyder, the director of emergency communications for Ulster County, will be watching the storm as it tracks over our region closely. Yesterday, he reported that Ulster County Executive Mike Hein is planning to declare emergency conditions in Ulster County in order to free up funds to deal with the aftermath of the storm.
More coverage of the storm:
The Daily Mail reports that Greene County could get as much as five inches of rain as the storm passes through.
The Daily Star reports that Delaware County expects the worst to miss it, and has no plans to open its emergency center over the weekend.
The New York Times has a hurricane tracker.
Stay tuned -- we'll be covering the hurricane all weekend. Send us your observations, reports and warnings at editor@watershedpost.com or post on this story or on our Facebook page.
