What a week!
Monday was pretty normal but Tuesday we started prepping for what would be Tropical Depression Ida, what Hurricane Ida had become by the time it reached the metro-NYC area. We expected lots of rain and some strong but not outrageous wind so we filled some buckets with fresh water in case the power went out - our water supply is an artesian well but if there's no power, the water pump doesn't work, made sure anything that could get knocked over or blown around was secured, and that was it.
Tuesday night it started raining and raining and raining. It rained so hard and so fast that it was cascading down the terraces and stairs in the backyard. It was accompanied by a huge thunderstorm with dramatic lighting bursts. It was a seriously intense storm, indeed. By the time it slowed down, we had about two feet of water in the basement. Our 200+ year old house has a stone foundation so it will let some water in but it was spurting in through some spots.
There wasn't anything I could do about it so I went to sleep. When I got up at 4AM I checked to see how much water was in the basement, expecting I'd be baling all day until we could get a plumber to come. I was pleased to see the floor was wet but there were no puddles or pools. Outside, I checked the outlet pipe from the sump pump and it was spewing water into the stream running down the road.
That sump pump never gave out, it just kept ond oing what it was supposed to do. We got off easy: the fuel pump and controller for our furnace needed to be replaced and that was it. Out internet connection went offline for a few hours but considering the bigger picture, that was a mere inconvenience.
MetroNorth Commuter Railroad got hit hard.They cancelled service on Thursday while they cleaned up the tracks, and one of their lines, the Hudson, is still out while they clear the wash-outs and mudslides.
Central Park in NYC had over 5" of rain in one hour. Around us, we got somewhere between 6" and 7" overnight, a few miles north in Mt. Kisco, over 9" was measured.
We might not be able to do much about it, and even the best preparations can prove sorely inadequate, but we sure do like talking about it.
A few photos shot in Manhattan over the past few months. There is some sidewalk scaffolding in all of them. It's part of the environment.
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