October 27, 2012

Dear Rochester Resident,

By Sunday afternoon we will be feeling the effects of Hurricane Sandy. This storm is huge and slow-moving and its effects will be felt for a longer period than those of last year’s Tropical Storm Irene. Current forecasts for our area call for tropical storm force winds with heavy rain possibly sometime Monday through Wednesday. The water table is fairly high from recent precipitation. So flooding of rivers and streams as well as localized flooding can be expected. What we don’t know is how severe the flooding will be. We also know that areas known to flood will also flood during this monumental weather event. When and how severe the flooding will be is going to be determined by the amount and rate of rainfall that we receive over the next few days.

We strongly recommend that you consider evacuating your residence if it has been known to flood in the past and finding safe shelter with family or friends before storm conditions and flooding make it impossible for you to leave your residence safely.
Widespread power outages can also be expected with this storm. Residents with medical conditions requiring electrically operated equipment should also consider evacuation.

Current plans call for the following locations to be staffed by 8pm on Monday to accept those residents in need of temporary shelter:

• Accord Firehouse located on Main Street in Accord
• Kerhonkson-Accord Rescue Squad Building on Rte 209 in Kerhonkson
• Alligerville Firehouse located on County Rte 6 in Alligerville
• Rochester 2 Firehouse located on Samsonville Road in Kerhonkson

We can not guarantee that we will be able to evacuate you if conditions become too severe and ask that you seriously consider leaving early for you and your family’s safety and for the safety of our dedicated emergency personnel.

Keep a watch on conditions and do not wait until the last moment. I will do my best to keep you informed as we plan to staff our Emergency Management Command Center located at the Kerhonkson-Accord Rescue Squad Building by 8pm on Monday or earlier if need be. Please call me (845)-389-0615 or email me at cmc102988@yahoo.com if you have any questions or concerns. We will try to keep our website townofrochester.net as well as my Facebook page updated with pertinent information as best as possible. Emergency requests should be directed dialing 911.

Sincerely,

Carl Chipman
Supervisor
Town of Rochester