Yes, Irene by and large passed over New York City with less damage than some had feared, leading some to glibly announce that we were a bunch of overreacting ninnypants. But the same cannot be said for our neighbors to the north—in many parts of upstate New York and Vermont, the damage is still being fully assessed, with state parks and historic sites looking to be in bad shape.
Guy Park Manor, a state-owned historic site on the Mohawk River's north bank in Amsterdam is still closed thanks to Irene damages, as is the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site in Fort Hunter. Walter Elwood Museum at Guy Park Manor saw many priceless historical artifacts ruined by flooding caused by Irene, and is now accepting recovery donations. In Vermont, hometown favorites Phish broke attendance records and raised over $1 million for flooding victims in the state.
A spokesman for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation estimated that damages from Irene could total about $15 million, but a more accurate number will still take weeks or months to calculate. Meanwhile, some upstate eco-leaders are worried that Governor Cuomo's recovery efforts could be harmful to the environment. Just to put things in perspective as you hunt desperately for that Halloween pumpkin: damages from Irene across the Eastern Seaboard are expected to total a whopping $7 billion.
