Tropical Storm Irene & Lee info and news archive

Contact our elected officials NOW to fund the Hurricane Irene &Tropical Storm Lee Assessment Relief Act

[2/9/2011] Enacted late last year, the Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee Assessment Relief Act provides municipalities and school districts with the option of reducing 2011 tax year assessments on properties catastrophically damaged by the storms.

As passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor, however, the law did not provide the funding needed to reimburse municipalities and schools for the taxes they would return if they opted to participate. In the Schoharie Central School District, reducing 2011 assessments would result in an estimated loss of more than $540,000 in previously collected tax payments, and perhaps as much as $813,000: a severe hardship.

A number of lawmakers have recognized the need for funding to support the Assessment Relief Act and provide the people in our community with the assistance they need. Your support of these proposals is critical. Help us help Schoharie. Let your elected officials and the Upstate Storm & Flooding Recovery Task Force know now why funding for the Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee Assessment Relief Act is important to you, your community and our region. READ MORE

Board of Education to hold special meeting Jan. 23 to discuss re Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee Assessment Relief Act

[1/20/2012] The Schoharie Central School District Board of Education will hold a special meeting on Monday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. in the high school library classroom, to discuss the Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee Assessment Relief Act. The new state law gives municipalities and school districts the option of reducing 2011 property tax assessments for catastrophically damaged properties.

The board will discuss the law, deadlines for municipalities and schools, and several subsequent proposals by Assemblyman Peter Lopez to extend the deadline for voting on the new law, as well as seeking state assistance for local municipalities and schools who would like to participate in the option, but in doing so would sustain considerable financial difficulty.

Superintendent Brian Sherman, on behalf of the Board of Education and the school community, has written to Governor Cuomo about the potential impact of the new law and in support of efforts to assist Schoharie County. READ HIS LETTER (PDF)

The Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee Assessment Relief Act

[1/2012] Late last year, the Legislature passed and the Governor enacted the Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee Assessment Relief Act. The new law allows taxing jurisdictions - counties, cities, towns, villages and school districts – to reduce assessments on properties catastrophically damaged by tropical storms Irene and Lee on their 2011 assessment rolls, based upon a property’s post-storm condition, even though the damage occurred after the 2011 taxable status date.

As enacted, the law, which did not provide reimbursement, set a deadline of Jan. 23, 2012 (45 days after the law’s adoption) for municipalities and school districts to decide whether or not to undertake such a reassessment, which would reduce the 2011 assessments for properties that lost 50% or more of their value due to the storm. Each municipality or school district that wishes to offer the option to their property owners must separately adopt a resolution. When the law was enacted, the deadline for a property owner to apply for assessment relief was set at March 8, 2012 (90 calendar days after the act was signed by the Governor). READ MORE

Schoharie, Cobleskill-Richmondville, Middleburgh partner for $90,000 AmeriCares Project Bouyancy grant

[11/2011] Schoharie Schools partnered with neighboring Cobleskill-Richmondville and Middleburgh school districts to create Project Buoyancy, a grant-funded effort to help meet the mental health and psychosocial support needs of students, staff and parents following the tropical storms Irene and Lee. A $90,790 AmeriCares Disaster Recovery Initiative Grant will cover the costs of a shared family liaison. READ MORE

Schoharie Recovery asks those impacted by the storms: Are you eligible for financial assistance?

[11/2011] Residents and business owners in Schoharie, Gallupville, Central Bridge and Esperance (Schoharie Central School District) who need assistance following the devastation of hurricanes Irene and Lee can register for eligibility for financial assistance through Schoharie Recovery, Inc. There is also a need for skilled labor. MORE INFO

Helping others have happier holidays

A gym filled with generosity awaited dozens of local families who were 'adopted' for the holidays by Schoharie students and staff. Gifts were presented on December 10 during Family Portrait Day. [12/2011]

Storm displaced families can have new family portraits taken on Dec. 10; reservations are required

[11/2011] Families of students displaced by tropical storms Irene and Lee are invited to have new, professional, photographic portraits taken on Saturday, Dec. 10, at Schoharie Elementary School through Help Portrait, NY Capital District. Reservations are required by calling  Angela at (518) 878-8017. [12/2011] DETAILS

The Women's Club of Albany to sponsor a benefit for our school libraries

[12/2011] The Women’s Club of Albany will be sponsoring a Good Books and Good Food for Good Works Holiday Bookfest at the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza on Tuesday, Dec. 13, from 6-8 p.m. Proceeds from the sale of books on that night will benefit the Schoharie Central School libraries. While our school was not directly damaged by the flooding, due to their losses many students now need our libraries more than ever. Come out and do your holiday shopping while supporting our school libraries and an independent book store.

Senior Katie Farineau speaks of Schoharie resilience in a Thanksgiving message on PBS NewsHour Extra

[11/2011] Senior Katie Farineau wrote an essay on the resiliency of the Schoharie community and submitted it to the PBS NewsHour Extra program, which seeks talented students' opinions on current events and indicate how their lives have been affected. The website speaks to a global audience. Katie's essay and photo were posted on the PBS website. Link to her inspirational and heartwarming essay.

Flood-muddy saxophone leads to winning grant to help schoolchildren keep music alive via Apple iPads

[11/2011] Schoharie Schools teamed up with Midtel to win a $5,000 Foundation for Rural Educational Development grant to purchase Apple iPads, a workstation and music software that schoolchildren, some of whom lost their instruments, belongings and even homes to Tropical Storm Irene, can use to practice, compose and perform. Superintendent Brian Sherman was inspired to apply for the grant after tropical storms Irene and Lee, when a firefighter handed him a “rather messy saxophone that had been recovered from a farm field after the flooding had receded.” READ MORE 

Broadalbin-Perth students empty their piggy banks to help their Schoharie peers

[10/2011] Hurricanes Irene and Lee were no match for the big hearts of students from the Broadalbin-Perth (BP)Central School District  when they decided to help their peers at Schoharie Central. They collected a trailer-load of supplies for Schoharie students and raised nearly $3,500 to benefit the SCS K-12 yearbook and Rolphie Fund. READ MORE & VIEW VIDEO 

Good feelings grow at Carrot Barn as students help others

[10/2011] Students in Marybeth Clark's Spanish class at Schoharie Jr./Sr. High spent a mid-September day helping others and as essays they penned about their experience attest, the experience was fulfilling particularly for those whose homes were spared by hurricanes Irene and Lee.

The group volunteered to help move items donated for storm victims, such as clothing and household items, from the Carrot Barn, where they were being stored, to the Presbyterian Church. READ MORE  

Appliance rebates through NYS Storm Relief Program

[10/2011] An $8 million appliance and equipment rebate program has been launched by Governor Cuomo to help those who sustained property damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

The New York Storm Relief Rebate Program is providing this assistance exclusively for New York State residents who are not receiving compensation from FEMA or insurance companies for these appliances or equipment.

Those who lost or had damaged essential appliances or equipment may qualify for cash rebates by purchasing eligible ENERGY STAR® or High Efficiency appliances or equipment. For a list of qualifying appliances and details on the rebates, visit https://www.nysappliancerebates.com/ or call the NYSERDA Help Desk at 1-877-NY-SMART.

Applications for Storm Relief rebates will be available on Monday, Sept. 19, 2011. Rebates will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Funds are limited.

Note: As of 10/13, funds were still available

"We Can Rebuild:" Schoharie Elementary students write, sing and inspire on WGNA radio

[10/2011] Schoharie Elementary students teamed up with WGNA radio's Richie Phillips to create an inspirational song about moving onward after the hurricanes. READ ABOUT THEIR SONG AND LISTEN HERE

FEMA contact information: Who to call...

[9/2011] With our community identified as a federal disaster area, FEMA is available to help individuals and businesses that sustained losses. To begin the registration process, visit http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov  or call (800) 621-3362, or via mobile devices at m.fema.gov. Hearing and speech impaired individuals may call (800)462-7585 (a TTY number).

Protect your FEMA number!

[9/2011] DO NOT give out your FEMA identification number to anyone except FEMA officials. Unauthorized individuals would have access to your bank and Social Security information. Identity theft can occur.

School opened on Monday, Sept. 12, for our students

[9/2011] There are a few transportation bugs being worked through but the organized chaos has been minimal. WELCOME BACK! For those impacted by the flood, please do not worry about school supplies, backpacks, or homework for your children. These items will be supplied.

School opening delayed until Sept. 12 (NEWS RELEASE PDF) [9/2011]

Questions & Answers

[9/2011] Schoharie residents have raised many questions following Hurricane Irene and its impact on our community. Visit our Q & A page to learn more about air quality, water and measures being taken to protect health and well being.

Where to donate

[9/2011] The Schoharie community was devastated by Hurricane Irene. There are a number of ways concerned citizens can help.

[u 2/2012]