LI firefighters to help flood victims upstate
Pam Young talks about how the flood waters from of Tropical Storm Irene and how she and her two sons had to be rescued from their home on County Rt.7 in Prattsville, N.Y. (Aug. 31, 2011) Credit: AP
Baldwin and Freeport firefighters -- fresh from responding to dozens of local emergencies related to Tropical Storm Irene -- left their South Shore firehouses Wednesday night to help storm-ravaged towns in upstate Greene County.
"We'll be doing a little bit of everything," said Kevin Smith, chief of the Baldwin Fire Department. "We'll be responding and taking their call load, some rescuing. We'll be cutting down some trees and making it safer for them."
Both Baldwin and Freeport had their share of downed trees and power outages from the storm that passed through Long Island on Sunday. Smith said the department responded to at least 65 calls that day.
But upstate towns have been hit even harder than Long Island, experiencing massive flooding.
The state Office of Fire Prevention and Control sent out an alert for volunteers to respond to the crisis upstate, and Baldwin and Freeport answered the call, Smith said.
Seven Baldwin firefighters and 15 Freeport firefighters are traveling to the region on several trucks, including a heavy rescue vehicle.
The drive will take them nearly four hours and they will be on site for at least 72 hours, Smith said, adding that he's unsure where they would be deployed in Greene County.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
