Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media on the impact of the Christmas Day storm in the region. Several roads in Greene County remain closed, including county Route 17 in Jewett, state Route 214 near Ulster County and state Route 42 in Lexington. Route 23 in Prattsville has one lane open with an alternating traffic pattern. Route 17 and Route 214 will require complete reconstruction, Legislature Chairman Patrick Linger said Mon., Dec. 28. “We’re still assessing the damage and coming up with a plan to repair all of it,” he said. Linger said it remains unclear how long it will take to make the needed repairs. The county has put inquiries in to the governor’s office to learn if a state of emergency will be declared and if Federal Emergency Management Agency money will be available, Linger said. The highest rainfall reported for Greene County was 5.72 inches in Tannersville. “This event, we had heavy rain, about 5 to 6 inches, which is nothing to sneeze at, and in addition, we had rapid snowmelt,” Christina Speciale from the National Weather Service in Albany said. “There was an additional 1-2 inches from snowmelt, so you really had 6 to 8 inches of water drained into the Schoharie [Creek] at one time, in a 24- to 48-hour period.” The Schoharie Creek crested at 17.5 feet in Prattsville at about 4:30 a.m. Christmas Day, about 5.5 feet above flood stage. Read the full story in the Register Star.