FEMA’s role in rebuilding: Compensation after Irene’s havoc in the Adirondacks

Tropical Storm Irene left a lasting impact on Adirondack Park, displacing residents and leading to extensive federal assistance for recovery efforts.

By Chloe Bennett

Rain was blanketing Au Sable Forks with no sign of letting up. Chad Garcia watched the AuSable River anxiously that afternoon on Aug. 18, 2011. 

“You could literally see it rising,” Garcia said. His wife, young children and neighbors evacuated while Garcia stayed behind. Then he realized it was no longer safe. The rushing waters destroyed his home.

Tropical Storm Irene caused widespread damage across the Adirondack Park, including in river towns like Jay and Keene, with a deluge that triggered sweeping floods. No deaths were reported in the park but the region saw tens of millions of dollars in damage. 

Inspecting his neighborhood and home, Garcia realized quickly his family could not live there without significant repairs. The sharp smell of fuel oil filled the air and debris covered the streets around the community he spent most of his life in.

“I’ve never been in a war zone, but I have to imagine it was something similar,” Garcia said. 

The house that was in his family for decades would later be demolished. Garcia and more than 20 other impacted residents in Essex County became part of a buyout program of the Federal Emergency Agency (FEMA). The agency gave about $2.6 million to the county to demolish, restore or buy properties damaged by the storm, according to published reports.

Now, an open field lies where Garcia’s home once stood. He and his family stayed with friends and family for about a month until necessary fixes were made to the house. Still, Garcia knew his family couldn’t stay there.

In 2013, Garcia and his wife received a check from FEMA to buy a new property.

“If it wasn’t for FEMA, I don’t know what we would have done,” said Garcia, 46, a teacher at Cumberland Head Elementary School outside of Plattsburgh.

Reliance on FEMA

Towns in the park rely on the federal agency when disasters strike, but the process requires patience. The wait by local governments to receive confirmation of help from FEMA can take weeks.

For example, FEMA confirmed reimbursement of up to 75% for Adirondack Park storm damage from Hurricane Beryl this July 10 and 11 on Aug. 29. 

Disaster declaration approvals, which confirm money from FEMA, come after assessments at the local, state and federal levels. Cathleen Reusser, supervisor of Elizabethtown in Essex County, said she requested help immediately after the July storm. She hopes the government can find ways to expedite the process. 

The town’s damage from Beryl’s remnants reached $6 million, which is “a drop in the federal hat, but it’s three times my annual budget,” she said.

When asked if FEMA has plans to hasten its work, Dasha Castillo, a public affairs specialist for the agency, did not disclose any. Instead, she said its Hazard Mitigation Grant program can help communities adapt to climate change by working on infrastructure before a storm. 

“It works with how to rebuild using techniques to make the infrastructure more resilient,” Castillo said.

Data show Essex County has been approved for more than 30 Hazard Mitigation Grants since 1996, including $743,246 in May for a stormwater management project in Saranac Lake. Two years after Irene, the county was approved for culvert and sewer system upgrades. 

More climate adaptation projects could be underway in the coming years.

A new FEMA rule that factors in future flooding was enacted in July. The agency, which responds to the country’s worst natural disasters, is now required to consider climate projections while planning new projects. 

Castillo said the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard requires the agency to examine current and future flood risks when designing federally funded projects.

Since the rule’s enactment, infrastructure should be designed to be more resilient, she said. An example could be building structures higher than the minimum elevation requirement to avoid worsening floods.

In Au Sable Forks, Garcia said his entire neighborhood was eligible for buyouts after Irene thundered through 13 years ago. Most households chose to stay put, he said, and opted out of the FEMA program. For many, the decision likely came down to their financial situations and if they were ready for another storm, he said. 

“Earlier that same year, we had to evacuate in February from an ice jam,” he said. “Those two storms, and Irene, (were) enough for me.”