In the Wake of Irene

We were squarely in the path of Hurricane Irene last Sunday. She dumped more than twelve inches of rain on us in less than 24 hours, the most rain since the epic floods in 1973 and 1927.

Luckily it didn’t flood our basement, but it knocked down a few trees in our neighborhood and turned the stream below our house into a raging river.

One place that really got hit hard was in nearby Windham, New York, where the Batavia Kill jumped its banks and headed down Main Street.


The old church, part of which is now a library, is visible on the far side of the bridge. The town is currently cut off from electricity.


I did a plein air painting there a few years ago. Main Street, which ran like a fast river, is the road in front of that green-roofed building, which happens to be a gallery called Windham Fine Arts.



Here's a photo of me painting a few years back, right on the spot that was churning with water on Sunday.


Above is a video compilation of flood drama in the Catskills.

 The flood photo of Windham is from "My Distractions."
Direct link to YouTube video of the flood.