Malone, NY, Feb 20, 2013 — Leaders with town of Malone hope to meet with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the next week, to talk about the flooding along Lower Park Street. The on-again, off-again cold weather this winter has meant a series of emergency declarations in Malone.

When the mercury has dipped below zero, the Salmon River jams with ice. That means the water jumps its banks, flooding homes. Public officials are figuring out why the river jams have gotten so bad, and what to do next.  Go to full article

Malone, NY, Feb 05, 2013 — Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed spending as much as $400 million to purchase homes wrecked by Hurricane Sandy. His plan is to have them demolished, and then preserve the flood-prone land permanently as undeveloped coastline.

The town of Malone would like to do something similar along the Salmon River, where a handful of houses were destroyed by flooding in the past couple of weeks.  Go to full article

Middlesex, VT, Aug 27, 2012 — Tropical Storm Irene devastated mountain villages across the Northeast a year ago. Vermont was particularly hard hit. Major flooding downed bridges, tore houses off their foundations, washed out roads, and even left some towns inaccessible. The state's been hard at work rebuilding since.  Go to full article

Burlington, VT, Jun 11, 2012 — A year has passed since spring floods and Tropical Storm Irene wreaked havoc on Lake Champlain and its tributaries. Researchers, scientists, safety officials and nonprofit leaders have been meeting in New York and Vermont, trying to sort out what those events mean for the future of communities in the Champlain Valley, and for the lake's ecosystems. Last week they gathered at the University of Vermont. Sarah Harris was there and has our story.  Go to full article

Upper Jay, NY, Jan 27, 2012 — An Adirondack community welcomes the return of its library this weekend, after months of repair work. The doors of the Wells Memorial Library in Upper Jay will reopen on Saturday as part of a day-long celebration. Five months ago, heavy flooding damaged the library after Hurricane Irene.

The library's board president, Marie-Anne Azar Ward, says flood waters ruined a majority of the library's books, and nearly all the children's collection was destroyed.

Azar Ward says the community rolled-up its collective sleeves and went to work repairing the 106-year old building. The re-opening celebration, with music and food, starts at 1 o'clock Saturday afternoon.  Go to full article

Oct 17, 2011 — Close to 100 people braved the rain late last week to plant trees in communities along the AuSable River devastated by Tropical Storm Irene.

The Lake Champlain Basin "Trees for Tributaries" program, organized by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, aims to restore and protect stream corridors connected to Lake Champlain following historic flooding Aug. 28. Chris Morris reports.  Go to full article

Aug 31, 2011 — President Obama issued a disaster declaration that frees federal aid for people in areas affected by Irene's flooding, as well as municipalities in Albany, Delaware, Essex, Greene, Schenectady. and Ulster counties. FEMA says assessments are continuing in other areas, and more counties could be added.

Rep. Bill Owens of Plattsburgh is among New York congressman who are preparing a letter asking the president to expand the declaration to more of New York, including Clinton, Warren and Washington counties. Owens and Rep. Chris Gibson were with Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday to get a firsthand look at the devastation Irene brought to the eastern slope of the Adirondacks.

With his daughter Mariah in tow, Cuomo toured the tiny high peaks community of Keene, where flash flooding of the Ausable River wiped out bridges, roads, and buildings. Cuomo also announced he was suspending state Adirondack Park Agency and Department of Environmental Conservation permit requirement to expedite clean-up and rebuilding. Chris Morris was there and has this report.  Go to full article

Plattsburgh, NY, Aug 29, 2011 — Heavy wind and rain can take a huge toll on the garden. Martha Foley talks with Cooperative Extension horticulturist Amy Ivy about how to deal with the Hurricane Irene aftermath in the garden. And she says to keep an eye out for signs of late blight, continuing to damage produce in the region.  Go to full article

Colton, NY, Jun 16, 2011 — Just last week, the Federal Government declared 21 New York Counties federal disaster areas, after this spring's flooding. But St. Lawrence county was NOT one of those counties.

Turns out St. Lawrence County wasn't passed over--it hasn't yet applied for aid. County officials aren't confident there's been $336,000 in public infrastructure damage--that's the amount required to qualify for the aid.

Colton has been the most heavily affected community in the county, but most of that damage--about $800,000 in all--was to private homes. Nora Flaherty spoke with Colton Town Supervisor Lawrence Patzwald about where things stand now:  Go to full article

Washington, DC, Jun 13, 2011 — On Friday, President Barack Obama declared much of the North Country a federal disaster area following spring floods that continue to plague much of the region. The declaration will mean federal money to help local communities faced with rebuilding infrastructure and paying emergency workers for overtime. Some private homeowners may also qualify for special loans and other financial assistance.

In all, twenty-one New York counties were included on the list, including Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, and Warren counties. But New York Senator Chuck Schumer says he'll continue to push for Federal emergency aid for St. Lawrence, Washington and Saratoga Counties, which were excluded.

In an interview with the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, Franklin County Emergency Services Director Ricky Provost called the declaration "good and welcome news." In Franklin County alone, the price tag for repairing public infrastructure is expected to top $11 million, at a time when local communities are already cash-strapped.

A flood warning remains in effect for the Lake Champlain shoreline, which is still nearly a foot above flood stage.  Go to full article