Disaster/Emergency Preparedness
The following page has many useful links to help point you in the right direction in case of an emergency. We can not stress enough that planning and education on your part is of the utmost importance.
With that said, NYS has an alert system that will notify you in case of an emergency. Please sign up at: www.nyalert.gov
The information posted on NY-Alert includes severe weather warnings, significant highway closures, hazardous materials spills, and many other emergency conditions. Additionally, you will find information regarding response actions being taken by local and state agencies and protective actions that you should take to protect you, your family and your property.
By signing up for NY-Alert, you can receive warnings and emergency information via the web, your cell phone, email and other technologies. Signing up for NY Alert is free. It is a tool to provide you with critical information when you may need it most.
To be prepared for all disasters and emergencies, please go to the following websites:
www.floodsmart.gov www.ready.gov www.fema.gov
Also, the National Weather Service at: www.nws.noaa.gov for forecast and weather updates.
Central Hudson has an informative page on what to do before and during a storm. Click here
Art Snyder, Director of Ulster County Emergency Management, has a blog that includes information on various Ulster County departments such as Emergency Communications/Emergency Management and the Fire Coordinator’s Office, with links to various organizations, training opportunities, meeting schedules and preparedness tips. You can sign up to receive information here:
www.ucemergencyservices.blogspot.com
We can not stress enough, during an emergency, if you need to evacuate, you are to go to your local Fire House. The Town has five fire houses. Now is the time to familiarize yourself with their location. Here are there numbers:
Company 1, Olivebridge 657-3311
Company 2, Shokan 657-8668
Company 3, West Shokan 657-6444
Company 4, Samsonville 657-6663
Company 5, Boiceville 657-2020
To obtain more information about shelters, please call the United Way at 211. Or the local Red Cross- 2012- Sadly, The local Red Cross has closed due to funding.
Ulster County Highway 340-3137
NYS Department of Transportation 331-5533
Central Hudson: to report and outage 452-2700
Central Hudson: to report a natural gas odor 942-8274
Ulster County Sherriff’s Office 338-3640
Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Ulster County is extremely helpful with many stream and disaster prepping questions. Check out there website at: www.cceulster.org or call: 340-3990 or 688-3047
The following is an important brochure from Cornell Cooperative’s Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program. Please take a moment to download and familiarize yourself with the Flood Emergency Preparedness Guide. Cornell Cooperative has a wealth of information regarding streams and safety. Click here for the guide
The Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program promotes a coordinated approach to stream protection and management within the Ashokan Reservoir Watershed, which covers portions of Ulster and Greene Counties in New York. Towns in the watershed include: Shandaken, Olive, Hurley, Woodstock, Hunter and Lexington. They offer lots of information regarding stream management.
This website has useful information regarding Catskill Stream Basics: www.Catskillstreams.org
A excellent resource on NYS streams (ownership, debris removal, permits, etc) can be found here. Go to the Chemung County Site and Download the stream guide in pdf format.
The Town Supervisor’s Office also has the entire 1600 page NRCS Stream Restoration guide if you would like to sign it out for viewing. Please let us know if you are interested in borrowing it. Also, if you live along a stream and have post flood questions, it is best to contact the Ulster County Soil and Water Department for best practices for stream bank restoration. They will point you in the right direction. Visit them here
Post Disaster Funding Options: Residents should know, if a disaster has not federally declared, the following resources may be utilized: Flood insurance (if applicable), Catskill Watershed Corporation, Department of Social Services, Red Cross or United Way. If a disaster has been federally declared, the following may be utilized: FEMA, the Small Business Administration for SBA loans, Department of Labor and the USDA. (This is only a guide and in no way a guarantee of services.)
Please stay tuned. We hope to have lots more on this page in the near future.
