After The Flood

Aug 23, 2014 - Aug 24, 2014
WGXC 90.7-FM: Radio for Open Ears

90.7-FM in NY's Upper Hudson Valley and wgxc.org/listen everywhere
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Hurricane Irene barreled down on the Catskills Aug. 27, 2011 only as a Tropical Storm, but still packed a wallop, With ground saturated from weeks of rain, as much as 20" of rain fell overnight and into Sunday, Aug. 28, and a flood nearly wiped the town of Prattsville off the map. Other floods came through Hunter, Windham, and other areas in Greene, Schoharie, Delaware, Ulster, and other counties in central New York. Only a few people died, but many faced death, and more faced enormous losses. A few days later, Tropical Storm Lee inflicted more damage. This show retells that story, three years later.

WGXC will cover the third anniversary of the floods in a series of special reports, interviews, features, live events, and other programming. Tune in to WGXC for a recounting of what happened and what will happen next time. We will detail how the community recovered, and worked together in new ways.

Shows include:
"The Storm Breaks"
WGXC recounts its pre-storm interview with Greene County Emergency Services director John Farrell, and replay station recordings as the first rain fell Sat., Aug. 27, 2011, until WGXC lost power early Sun., Aug. 28, 2011.

"The Water Recedes"
Paul Smart drives around the area immediately after the storm, and one year later, with a report on the differences. WGXC will also replay other reports in the first days after the storm, including rumors that the Gilboa Dam was going to open, fake charity scams, and an quick network of individuals and groups banding together to help their neighbors. Dharma Dailey talks to the folks behind "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" that formed out of the storm's aftermath. We will interview many other local residents one year later.

"The Watershed Post"
Dharma Dailey interviews the folks behind the most important source of news during the storm's immediate aftermath, the blod "The Watershed Post." WGXC will also replay parts of their live radio show after the storm with Gov. Andrew Cuomo jumping in during the show.

"Between the Lines"
Ann Forbes Cooper talks with Professor Robert Titus, known as the "Catskill Geologist," and Carolyn Bennett, historian of the Zadock Pratt Museum in Prattsville and Larry Gambon, a photographer who shot extensive footage of the damage done by the Hurricane Irene, about Prattsville one year on.

"Prattsville Remembers Irene" Jess Puglisi and Lynn Sloneker talk with residents of Prattsville and Lexington about their experience during the flooding that resulted from Hurricane Irene that obliterated much of their town, along with observations about the first year of recovery. Prattsville, a town of seven-hundred situated at the junction of the Batavia Kill and the Schoharie Creek, was left in ruins after both bodies of water flooded with unanticipated speed and force. Residents interviewed include Beth and Donald Ballard, Michelle Petricini, Frank Hagan, David Murphy, Ronald Jones, Kaitlynn Cross, Melinda Sokoll, and Lynn Byrne.

The Art of Mudfest Two years later, Jess Puglisi talks with two Prattsville art centers helping the town recover.