Rensselaer County residents prep for storm

RENSSELAER COUNTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Snow…rain…and wind gusts…This latest storm is packing it all in, and for residents in Castleton-on-the-Hudson, like the Gray family, they’re hoping it won’t bring the same level of flooding as they experienced last month. The big concern is when all this snow melts and then starts heading down a hill toward their home.

“Because the issue started with the water storm drain overflowing and being unable to handle water,” Brenda Gray said. “And that’s how this came into my yard and affected my basement.”

And because they don’t have flood insurance, they now have to pay for the repairs out of pocket and are trying to save money to do it.

When they contacted the mayor, the village supplied barricades with mixed stones in between each one. The Gray family, though, doubts the effectiveness of the barricades.

“Time will tell,” Robert Gray. “But this is not going to work.”

News10 tried contacting the mayor but has not received a comment on the matter. In the meantime, Rensselaer County officials are more worried about the high wind warning since that can lead to power outages in the area.

“We have a high wind warning until 7 am tomorrow,” Jay Wilson, Emergency Manager for Rensselaer County, said. “So we’re just going to be monitoring that. We’ve had contact with the power companies, they’ve got crews ready to go, and we’re getting constant updates from the State of New York in the process.”

If the power goes out, county officials ask everyone to be prepared with extra batteries and flashlights. They also ask residents to do wellness checks on elderly neighbors.