Fighting flames and storm furies

“Hurricane Sandy was a storm that missed us here,” Henry said. “We were able to send some of our people down to Long Island for three days to help them there.”

However, for Hurricane Irene, conditions were quite different. “Basically, the village of Rhinebeck was impassable in that storm,” Henry recalled. “Route 9 was closed at Route 9G, Route 308 was flooded, trees were down on River Road. Route 9 was also closed at the Astor Home, where the water came over Crystal Lake.”

Given all that, he said, “we were hampered by people who decided to ride around to see what was happening. They just create more problems for emergency personnel. It takes days to clear up some things, and they go out and become a victim and get stuck in the water. If you’re on an unfamiliar road and you see water on it, go around, especially in a storm. You don’t know how deep that water is. The best thing is, if we tell you to stay home, stay home!”

“Most people are not prepared at home,” Henry added. His suggestions include a supply of water, a generator if possible, fresh batteries, and even a little flashlight at bedside. “Smoke detectors work, they save lives,” he emphasized. “Heed low battery warnings. If there is smoke, get out!”

He also strongly advised a family evacuation plan, including a bag of necessities, a small amount of cash, and a safe destination for the family to meet if necessary. EDITH – Exit Drills In The Home – are highly recommended, due to the success of fire drills in schools.

“The biggest little word in the world is IF,” Henry stressed. “After something happens, people say, ‘IF I’d only done this…’, but you can never turn the clock back.”

RHINECLIFF
Tim Conklin has been Rescue Captain of the Rhinecliff Volunteer Fire Company since 2008. Before that he was a lieutenant for five year and has been a member since 1998.

He and his company cover the area from the Morton Road intersection of Mill Road, north to just north of Route 199 (near the bridge), west to the middle of the river, east to the village line on Rhinecliff Road and up to the intersection of Routes 9 and 9G.

Of the storms, Tim said, “I think we might have had two or three calls for wires, trees down [for Sandy]. It wasn’t as bad as expected. In Rhinebeck village, it was horrible; down here, it was a light breeze. A lot of the wind was coming out of the east and blew over us. We did lose power for about two days. For Irene, it was a lot worse, quite a bit more substantial, and a lot of flooding. At one point we had a road collapse, a washout.… It was quite a bit more of a disaster than Sandy, upwards of at least 30 calls.”

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