Hurricane Irene Devastates Upstate New York

  |  August 29, 2011

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMDo2AgxFng]

I thought about heading upstate on Friday evening, assuming it would be safer than staying put in my Brooklyn neighborhood, even if we’re relatively high up compared to the evacuated sectors of the city. But I chose to remain, afraid of the panicked traffic. The storm seemed barely to pass by my windows, but Hurricane Irene, or Tropical Storm Irene as it later became, weaved a path of destruction through the Catskills, on towns we’ve already profiled and even this week’s spotlight town, Tannersville. Above is video of severely flooded Margaretville. My family’s place in Tivoli is without power, and my family further north, in Saratoga, said tens of thousands had lost power around there, as well. Twenty-one people were stranded in a Prattsville motel, though the National Guard managed to rescue them.

All we can say is, yowza. What kind of impact this will have on upstate New York real estate remains to be seen. Hope everybody’s okay up there, and for those of you about to close on a house, remember this: buy flood insurance.

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