10:15am: The order to evacuate Prattsville immediately has been taken down a notch, according to Shaun Groden, the Greene County administrator, who was just on WRIP in Windham again a moment ago. Groden is now saying that Prattsville residents should be PREPARED to evacuate, but don't need to evacuate yet. Groden will be checking in at WRIP throughout the day. If he "pulls the trigger" on an evacuation order, you'll hear it on WRIP first. The livestream is here.
Here's the transcript of what Groden just said on WRIP 97.9FM:
Shaun Groden in Greene County Emergency Operation Center
What we'd like to advise people in Prattsville. The downtown area particularly...people should be getting ready to prepare for a possible evacuation. Get your backpack, be prepared to move to a shelter. Right now, I understand that it is not raining, or raining heavily, in the Prattsvile area. We think it can be maintained right now, but the bigger issue right now is the storm west of us. We will begin to activate the shelter in Cairo elementary school...be prepared to bring personal items, sleeping bags, . We're trying to prepare for this as best we can, and not react.
Prepare for evacuation, Don't ned to get out right now. When we need to pull that trigger, we will be in a position...
We don't need panic. We're ahead of this issue now, versus where we were last Monday, when we were behind the 8 ball. A key portion of this message:
We are fully activated here at the Greene County Emergency Operations Center. We can watch thing much more clearly. If we need to do it, we are ready.Downtown in Prattsville, there is a lot of activity. We don't want to let them get caught short. If we do pull the trigger -- we're just going to be prepared for it.
There is a storm west of us. Let's be smart. Let's prepare. Have your bags packed.
9:50am: Just announced on WRIP by an official, probably Greene County administrator Shaun Groden, at the Greene County Emergency Operations Center: Prattsville is under evacuation order, and the Schoharie Creek and Batavia Kill are cresting above the floodplain.
Listen live to WRIP for the latest on flooding in Greene County; they have been the most consistently reliable source of info on the area.
