Let’s take a look back at the hurricane that carved a path through the Adirondack Park. It wreaked havoc among rivers, lakes, infrastructure, and many homes in this region. In fact, it caused approximately 25 million dollars worth of damage in the park. This was most definitely a natural disaster that sent people into undeniably unpleasant circumstances in just one day. I read something incredible about the Ausable River; normally, it is a rustic river popular with anglers, it swelled over eleven feet above the categorized flood stage, as Tropical Storm Irene swept past the eastern slopes of the Adirondacks. There was an incredible number of accounts of basements being flooded, roofs of houses destroyed, banks flooded, and roads washed away. Following the damage done by the storm, several families had to be rescued by boats from their homes due to the amount of water surrounding their houses. Irene also left her mark on some of the park’s beautiful landscape. For weeks after the storm, many of the most popular trails in the High Peaks and Dix Wilderness Areas were closed, especially the waterways, which took a very large hit from the disaster. The hurricane undoubtedly altered the composition of the Adirondack park for the future to come. This storm rivaled the Big Blowdown in 1950 and the Ice Storm of 1998, both of which devastated the area and mirrored the volume of damage that was done by Hurricane Irene. This is an image from the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Irene, tearing down buildings and flooding homes all over the area.

Neighbors were side by side, piling up wood and debris alongside the highway patrol and the Department of Transportation. The camaraderie among the communities of people that wanted to rebuild their towns together brought them all much closer together. Within the first two days of the repairs taking place in the region, “At McDonough’s Valley Hardware, more than 100 people turned up to scrub floors and shelves,” according to the post-storm report given by the Adirondack Life Magazine. The number of volunteers continued to climb day by day. 

Reminiscing about hurricane Irene back at home in Connecticut, where I am from, this hurricane devastated our area as well. There were trees down everywhere, and the power was out in my house for almost over a week. I remember the things that people in my town did to repair the town. Similar to the people in the Adirondack region, there were people up and about early in the morning cleaning up the streets and repairing other people’s houses that had been destroyed in the passing of the hurricane. I remember waking up one morning, and the basement of my house had accumulated approximately three inches of rainwater the previous night, while a tree that had just fallen down was lying perpendicular across the roof. This hurricane caused a devastating amount of damage, not just in the Adirondacks, and also put many people in danger around the northeast. Hurricane Irene is seen as a major disaster in the Adirondacks, and the after-effects are still being felt.

Hurricane Irene Insists, “Stay out of the Adirondack … https://adirondacklifestyle.net/2011/08/hurricane-irene-insists-stay-out-of-the-adirondack-backcountry-this-weekend/.

Mann, Brian. Adirondack Life Article – after the Storm – Adirondack Life, http://www.adirondacklifemag.com/blogs/2012/08/28/after-the-storm/.