UPDATE: Beryl’s impact: Adirondack Park towns reopen roads, millions of dollars in damage

Damage less severe than 2023 storm, but rescues and torn roads add to town troubles

By Chloe Bennett and James M. Odato

Update 11:30 a.m. July 12:

Crews were close to fully or partially reopening storm-damaged local roads in Essex County towns on Friday, and had time to begin discussing the nearly two days of non-stop work to evacuate campers, shovel out mud, clear culverts and truck away debris.

“We’re extremely better than 24 hours ago,” said Moriah Supervisor Matt Brassard, who handled his first major storm calamity since taking office in January. 

A dozen local roads suffered damage, largely because of overflows from Mill Brook, and about 15 people had to be rescued late at night in town trucks from Champ RV Campground in Port Henry. Eight of them found overnight refuge at the Moriah Fire Department. 

Brassard said he and his crew of eight worked 32 hours straight, went home at 4 a.m. and were back at it at 6 a.m. to deal with the wreckage. The repair costs will be extensive.

“I’d say we’re well over a million (dollars) in damage,” Brassard said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we qualify for FEMA and it’s more. Probably three to four million if they want to build back better.”

He said his crews were aided by Minerva Supervisor Stephen McNally who called at 5 a.m. asking what was needed. He sent four Minerva workers and tandem trucks to augment Moriah’s cleanup.

“I’m a Republican, he’s a Democrat. At the county and local level, I don’t care what little letter you have next to your name; there’s no time. With the resources that town government has, there’s no time for bickering,” Brassard said.

“This is my first disaster,” he said, adding the storm caused more wreckage than anything he’s seen since he took posts on village and town boards in 2010. The rains came down heavy on Wednesday, amounting to three inches of precipitation in 45 minutes. RV campers were rescued by truck, some in nearly four feet of water, he said.

“We’re lucky it wasn’t a Friday or Saturday, when there could have been a couple of hundred,” he said about the popular campground along Lake Champlain.

Similar cleanup scenes played out in Lewis, Westport and Elizabethtown, particularly New Russia, which also were deluged Wednesday evening.

Lewis Supervisor James Monty said most of roads closed the past few days will reopen today. He said these secondary roads might have been obstructed even more if not for culvert cleaning in recent years after beaver ponds burst their seams from a December 2023 storm. He sent crews out to recheck culverts before the latest storm.

“It could have been worse,” he said. “We had the preparation from the December storm. And we had guys go out to make sure culverts weren’t plugged.”

The storm represented the second July running with heavy rains in the Adirondacks. But the 2023 storm resulted in state disaster declarations and heavy damage to major roadways, particularly 28N in the Newcomb region.

“It’s getting better,” said Westport Supervisor Ike Tyler who had an estimated about $4 million in damages on Wednesday after a series of storms blew through. He said seven inches of rain was recorded at the sewage plant along Lake Champlain. He said the plant exceeded its discharge permit into the lake, but it spewed treated waste.

The town lost about 15 local roads because of torn up or flooded pavement. The number of impassable roads fell to just a few on Friday morning. Ledge Hill Road and Mountain Spring Road will be down for months, he said.

Hoisington Brook ran so heavy that it deteriorated a great deal of earth and roadway.

The towns hope to get aid from the federal government to reimburse repair and cleanup expenses, Tyler said.

“We’ve had a lot of bad ones, but this is getting worse and worse,” Tyler said. Raised in Westport, the 65-year-old veteran of three decades of town board and supervisor service said he’s never seen water in basements before, and it happened this time. And he has never seen water over the bridge over the brook until this week.

Update on July 11 at 9:15 am: The Essex County Emergency Services Advisory alerted motorists of the following road closures from flooding:

Westport:  State Route 22 (Closed between Lake Shore Road and Sisco Street,) Ledge Hill Road, Taylor Road.

Moriah: Bigelow Road.

Essex: Spear Road.

Elizabethtown: Roaring Brook Lane, Scriver Lane, Simonds Hill Road, County Road 8 (Closed from US Route 9 to Brainards Forge Road,) Lincoln Pond Road (Closed from 9N to Fleury Road,)  State Route 22 (Closed at County Home Road.)

Update on July 10 at 4:30 pm: A tornado was confirmed in Lewis County, according to 7 News in Watertown. Winds reportedly caused debris to fly in an area between Osceola and Montague. A tornado warning for the area has since expired. The National Weather Service warned of winds up to 60 miles per hour in Potsdam, Canton and Norwood at 1:13 pm. Lake Placid, Newcomb and Tahawus were under a warning of winds up to 50 miles per hour until 4 pm.

Update on July 10 at 12:40 pm: All counties in and around the Adirondack Park are under a tornado watch by the National Weather Service. The alert is in effect until 9 pm tonight. Unlike a tornado warning, the current notice means tornadoes are possible but have not yet formed. Watch areas are usually large and can cover entire states, according to the Cornell Cooperative Extension.

One year after torrential rain flooded parts of the Adirondacks, the region is expected to receive another heavy downpour.

Hurricane Beryl, which hit Caribbean islands, Mexico and Texas, downsized to a tropical depression Monday night. The storm is projected to blow through upstate New York starting Wednesday. 

Parts of the Adirondacks could receive up to 4 inches of rain. According to The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, winds up to 39 miles per hour are expected during tropical depressions.      

The National Weather Service on Tuesday evening showed Adirondack Park areas including Newcomb, Long Lake and Old Forge may experience the most rain on Wednesday. Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, Ticonderoga, Essex and the Lake George area could see up to 3 inches. 

Experts recommend having extra supplies and a plan to be without electricity, water and gas during severe weather conditions. Avoiding driving except during evacuations and locating higher grounds in case of intense flooding is also advised. 

The storm is the first of what will likely be a highly active hurricane season, scientists say. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts 17 to 25 named storms this year, including hurricanes and tropical storms. Rapid warming in the Atlantic Ocean and the naturally occurring La Niña contribute to the projections. 

Rising temperatures from fossil fuel production lead to warmer oceans, powering extreme weather and hurricanes, NASA reports. Storms can produce more intense and sustained rainfall, the administration states. 

One year ago, severe storms knocked out power and damaged roads in the park, especially in the western Adirondacks. Rainfall data from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry showed that its Newcomb campus ended July 2023 with a record of 13.7 inches, breaking a previous precipitation record of around 9 inches from 2021.

The deluge damaged ecological projects at its 15,000-acre Huntington Wildlife Forest but also added to its weather monitoring data. 

On Tuesday, LJ Mills, caretaker of the forest’s long-term monitoring sites, said he was not preparing the projects for flooding but would be watching for damage.

The biogeochemical research support specialist said soil in the forest was relatively dry, but quick rainfall could cause flooding and erosion. 

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Photo at top: Rain runoff from the July 10, 2024 storm ripped up Taylor Road in Westport surveyed by Keven Severence, head of the department of public works.