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Emergency Personnel Kept Busy by Monday's Flooding
Overturned truck spills oil into storm drain at Ansville Circle
by Maria Theodore Leiter
 | | Cold Spring's dock area was inundated with water even before high tide came at 11:30 on Monday morning |
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Fire Department pumper trucks and rescue crews were working overtime on Monday as flood warnings remained in effect the entire day in Philipstown and Putnam Valley. Many small streams and rivers overflowed their banks, flooding roadways and basements. Firefighters and highway personnel were busy trying to pump water away from roads and out of homes.
Flooding was a big problem at the foot of Main Street in Cold Spring, where the Hudson spilled over her banks, deluging the riverfront park and the streets in front of the Hudson House and the housing development currently under construction. There were also reports of flooding on Fishkill Road Tuesday morning, where storm water exceeded the capacity of culverts.
Putnam Valley Second Assistant Chief Louie Luongo said that the Putnam Valley Volunteer Fire Department had three units out working all day long since about 2am on Monday. They also sent three teams into Westchester County, where major roadways were washed out.
In Putnam Valley, he said they reported to numerous residences, where they pumped water out of homes. In one instance, firefighters used their boat to rescue residents from their flooded home.
"We had to take the boat on the road and take people out of a home on White Road at Peekskill Hollow Road," he said. Flood waters reached eight inches from the door handles of the car parked on their driveway, he said.
"We had an array of problems to work through today," he said. Cimarron Road and Lovers Lane were still impassable as of Monday evening, he reported. "Everybody has been working today." He said he was just returning home to complete the day's paperwork at 8pm.
While crews responded to many homeowner's calls, Luongo pointed out that the fire department equipment was not able to handle smaller quantities of water. Residents with two inches or less were on their own. "Although it's a disaster to a homeowner, our equipment doesn't go down that low."
He also reported that the PVVFD responded to two auto incidents in the past two weeks, one accident on April 9 on Route 301 at the Dennytown Road intersection. One person was transported to the hospital by the Putnam Valley Volunteer Ambulance Corp. On March 31, firefighters arrived on the southbound lane of the Taconic State Parkway, south of Route 301 and extinguished a car fire.
Other calls reported by the PVVFD were two automatic alarms on April 11, and April 13. The first was tripped by contractors working on the premises, the latter by burnt food. Smoke caused by burning incense that fell onto plastic brought the fire department to a residence on April 3. There were two calls to controlled burns on April 14 on Pecohoe Road and Pleasant Road. Another controlled burn took place on Traverse Road on April 6. Firefighters found no problem when called to investigate an unknown odor at a residence on Oscawana Lake Road on April 7. They also served on standby for the Mohegan Fire Department on April 10.
On April 13, a different kind of spillage occupied firefighters of the Continental Village Volunteer Fire Department. They reported to the site of an overturned tractor trailer at the Ansville Traffic Center. According to Chief Bill Rimm, the injured truck driver was transported to the Westchester Medical Center. The truck leaked seven gallons of fuel oil into a nearby storm drain. The fire department was on the scene for three hours, cleaning up the fuel spill.
Deputy Chief John Noschese of the North Highlands Fire Department said the Department reported to only one alarm last week. On April 9, they were dispatched to 25 Horton Road for a controlled burn, which was done without a burning permit. Firefighters found a large tree trunk on fire. Resident claimed that he flicked a cigarette butt from his window in the direction of the tree trunk.
The fire department used 100 feet of hose, a pike pole and an axe to break up the rotted tree trunk, causing it to fall over and extinguish the fire. Report on Monday's flood incidents were not submitted in time for this week's publication by the Garrison, Cold Spring or North Highlands fire departments.
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