Schoharie Irene update

1:25pm: YNN just did another Schoharie report. (Good on them for following this story!) They say that there have been no deaths in Schoharie, but that the damage is extreme:

SCHOHARIE, N.Y. -- From mountain side to mountainside, the Schoharie Creek swelled and flooded homes in its path. That's how Schoharie's Town Supervisor Martin Shrederis is assessing the damage.

People who have lived there since the 1950s say they've seen bad flooding, but never this bad.

National Guard members helped people recover Monday. Luckily, no deaths have been reported in the town, but many farms lost animals and crops. Properties are still flooded and the inside of some homes completely wrecked. 

Officials are now planning their next move.

"The people need to know, what do we do with our debris. Where do we meet to find out what we need to know about FEMA. The governor's been here this morning, I didn't get a chance to see him. The whole valley is in devastation. We just need to find out what our next step is as we move forward," said Shrederis.

Shrederis says he was in Schoharie during the flooding of 1996, but that Irene's impact is much worse.

11:05pm Tuesday, 8/30/11: 

The New York National Guard has been in the town of Schoharie, according to its Flickr photo page for Schoharie. Here's a photo of a guardsman, Sgt. Windollyn V. Patino, rescuing a woman on Monday. She had reportedly been trapped in her house by debris for two days:

CBS 6 in Albany has an update on the town of Schoharie tonight:

Schoharie -- National Guard convoys cross Middleburgh, as FEMA workers go door to door in the Village of Schoharie.

Both communities are among the hardest hit in the wake of Irene. Homes and businesses are ravaged by flooding 6 and 7 feet high.

Access to the Village of Schoharie remains limited. Residents are asked for proof of address before being allowed to enter the village. Basements remain filled with water, and residents say they've been told not to pump because of fuel oil in the flood the water.

An 80 person FEMA team from Ohio spent Tuesday checking on individual homes to determine whether anyone was trapped inside. Crews are also checking to see which structures may no longer be safe to enter.

Residents who have been allowed back into their homes tell us they remain without power or water.

Bridge Street, Schoharie, by Heather Kline, uploaded 8/30/11 to Facebook today: 

Knower Ave. in Schoharie, 1pm 8/30/11m, by Heather Kline on Facebook:

From Heather Kline, via Facebook:

Knower Ave in Schoharie around 1pm today, via Heather Kline on Facebook:

Monday, 8/39/11:

Bridge Street Bridge in the Village of Schoharie:

YNN drove into the village of Schoharie and filed a detailed report estimating that "perhaps hundreds of homes that have been damaged:"

Schoharie's Town Supervisor Martin Shrederis is assessing the damage.

People who have lived there since the 1950s say they've seen bad flooding, but never this bad.

National Guard members helped people recover Monday. Luckily, no deaths have been reported in the town, but many farms lost animals and crops. Properties are still flooded and the inside of some homes completely wrecked.

Officials are now planning their next move.

"The people need to know, what do we do with our debris. Where do we meet to find out what we need to know about FEMA. The governor's been here this morning, I didn't get a chance to see him. The whole valley is in devastation. We just need to find out what our next step is as we move forward," said Shrederis.