The weekend storm caused extreme damage in some cases, like this sycamore tree that fell through the roof of a home at 266 Pitcher Lane near Greig Farm (photo by Emily Sachar).Fallout from Sunday’s sudden storm continued to mount Monday, as local emergency services and utility providers rushed to help dozens of square miles of impacted areas in Red Hook return to some semblance of normal.
The thunderstorm, which began around noon Sunday, sent high winds whipping across Northern Dutchess County, downing trees and power lines. National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Michael Main told The Daily Catch that the storm, called a microburst, originated near Binghamton as the result of a very active weather pattern. (Read: What’s a microburst?)
A downed tree off the road near Bard College (photo courtesy of Doris Formby).
The storm impacted power, internet, cable, and cell service, with some still not getting internet or power back by Monday afternoon. Central Hudson reported 373 outages in the Red Hook area at 3:44 p.m. Monday, with service expected to be restored by 8 p.m., according to Central Hudson’s website. On Sunday evening after the storm’s peak, the utility reported that several powerful lines of thunderstorms toppled trees and caused other damage that interrupted electric service at nearly 200 individual outage locations, affecting more than 15,500 customers (Read our initial coverage).
For internet and cable service, Spectrum shared a statement with The Daily Catch Monday afternoon. “Yesterday’s storm knocked out commercial power in the area, which in turn, impacted Spectrum service to some customers in the area,” said Heidi A. Vandenbrouck, Regional Director of Communications for the Northeast. “Storm debris also caused some physical damage to the network—our teams are onsite, addressing any issues, following all-clear from utility company that the area is safe to perform our work.” (See our photo gallery).
Residents dealt with major damage from fallen trees smashing through homes or onto accessory buildings and cars. A tree smashed through one house at 266 Pitcher Lane, where Ken Fowler lives with his wife and son. The whole family was at home when the tree fell. His wife was on the second floor trying to help their son—who has a disability—move downstairs to safety. The tree, Fowler said, fell within a foot of his wife.
“When I got up there, she was holding up a quarter of the ceiling with her back,” he said. The Fowler family was able to make it out safely. Fowler’s wife suffered a scraped arm in the crash and was brought to a hospital from the scene. (See our video).
One of Dave’s Tree Service’s cranes clearing debris near the Hudson after the storms cleared (photo courtesy of Dave Hughes).
Dave Hughes, the third-generation owner of Dave’s Tree Service, said his company has removed over 80 trees from roads and properties in the Red Hook area between Sunday evening and Monday afternoon. All 22 of the company’s employees—five crews worth—were out until dark Sunday night and started work at 5 a.m. Monday morning, still clearing debris through Monday afternoon. All were still in the area early in the evening Monday, operating cranes to remove fallen trees and branches from houses, yards, and roads.
“It’s been out of control,” said Hughes. “We started in 1936, and we’ve never had storms like this. Every single day feels like hurricane season.” (See our video roundup).
On the day of the storm, the Town of Red Hook Fire Department responded to 15 calls in the area with multiple reports of downed trees on power lines and in homes. The Tivoli Fire Department responded to another dozen calls, with more downed trees, a structure fire caused by a blown electrical panel, and a pair of stranded hikers.
The hikers, a husband and wife, were on Cruger Island in Tivoli Bays sometime before noon when the storms tore through Sunday. Trees blocked the path back to town, the couple couldn’t get to their car, and with no cell service, they were completely cut off from emergency services.
A family from Guilford, Conn. surveyed damage along the South Woods Trail at Bard’s Montgomery Place (photo by Emily Sachar).
After five hours stranded in the rain and wind, they finally managed to get to their vehicle and call 911. The Tivoli Fire Department responded to the call at 4:47 p.m., bringing a Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) loaded with saws to carve through the downed trees along the trail.
“We had to basically cut our way in,” said Chief Marc Hildenbrand. But within 15 minutes, he said, the volunteer firefighters were able to get to the couple and bring them safely back up the cleared road.
The Milan Volunteer Fire Department closed off roads to clear downed trees in the area (photo from Facebook).
Some local businesses also scrambled to deal with the lack of internet or power Monday morning. With Spectrum down, and with no indication when it would be back up, operations at Taste Budds in Red Hook looked imperiled. But Nikki Reilly, the cafe’s front-of-house manager, turned her phone into a hotspot to keep the shop operating from 6:30 a.m. Monday. “We want to support the community,” she said.
Bard personnel likewise had to think on their feet while responding to the sudden storm. A performance of SCAT!, a weekend dance performance by the Brooklyn troupe Urban Bush Women, was able to take to the stage just 30 minutes behind schedule at the Fisher Center shortly after the deluge, thanks to the efforts of students and staff. SCAT! attendee Ted Krawczyk described being shocked by the extent of the damages at Bard: downed trees, downed wires, and loss of primary electricity. Still, Krawczyk said, “We were able to enjoy the entire show as if nothing happened.”
Power lines were damaged, like this scene at Knox Road (photo courtesy of Joey Shavelle).
Mark Primoff, Associate Vice President of Public Relations at Bard, noted that the college is “really proud” of faculty for clearing debris and restoring power. “The Fisher Center staff did an amazing job,” he said.
Rhinebeck was not severely impacted by the storm, said Town of Rhinebeck Highway Superintendent Bob Wyant. His team only responded to two calls, he said, and was more impacted by the round of storms last weekend.
“We’re no longer getting just rain,” said Wyant of the influx of summer storms. “It always seems to be downpours, with rain and lightning. I would attribute that to climate change.”
However, Main, the NWS meteorologist, noted that attributing individual events to climate change is tricky. He said climate change increases the probability of “higher-end” weather events, such as storms.
Indeed, Town of Red Hook Supervisor Robert McKeon told The Daily Catch that residents can expect severe weather events to persist in the coming years. “It’s all about the wind,” he said.
McKeon described being up all night monitoring the storm’s impact on town residents and local roads.
In 2017, the Town of Red Hook was selected to participate in a study to predict the local effects of climate change. The study, McKeon said, predicted wind events like this, and the loss of snowy winters regionwide. But scientists originally estimated that these conditions would take effect in 2037.
“We’re ahead of schedule,” McKeon said grimly.
Below, watch our video roundup of the storm, its damage, and Day 1 of the recovery.
Then, watch the storm’s impact on one resident, who endured a 30-foot sycamore branch that punched through his roof and narrowly missed hitting his wife.
