We’ve all been dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Irene on a local level, but for some in our community, the concern extends over the New York border, into the Catskill Region.

While clearly beyond the usual coverage of Baristanet, we’ve received numerous emails about stranded friends, lost vacation homes, washed away summer camp structures and general sadness for the extensive losses incurred by the residents of the upstate towns.

A Baristanet reader who has a home in Phoenicia decided at the last minute not to head up there on Friday, before the storm. She told us this:

News coverage has been shockingly poor about Irene’s effect on upstate NY. I have friends stranded in the Catskills who cannot go anywhere as bridges and roads have disappeared. It is really ugly, several people have died already. I know of people whose homes have been swept away.

We have friends and neighbors we can’t get in touch with – power and phones are still down in most of the area. The after-effects are going to be really tough as it is poor and rural and so sad that the damage is so extensive. The evacuation orders were non-existent.

Our tipster told us that Prattsville bore the brunt of the storm and the town of Windham is in ruins. The Red Cross is looking for volunteers to help with the relief efforts. You can see photos of the area here.

One Catskills blog — Watershed Post — has provided 24 hour hurricane information from its elevated, dry and powered Catskill location. Their town-by-town coverage has helped connect people throughout the region who are stranded, posted hurricane-related injury and death notices and has become a clearinghouse of information for all things Irene/Catskills.

Of great concern to many hyperlocal families is the Frost Valley YMCA in Claryville. While not formally affiliated with the Montclair Y, it is where many of our children spend their summers and work as counsellors. We spoke with JoAnn Short, President/CEO of the Montclair YMCA, who said that amazingly, the hurricane hit on the least populated weekend of the summer. “The summer campers had just gone home and the family camp hadn’t yet started, so there were very few people at the camp,” she said. “Thankfully, no one was hurt.”

A reader told us: “This was my son’s first year and he had an amazing experience. We picked him up on Friday, and the camp was hit by Irene on Sunday.”

Short said that while the camp had mostly been cleared out of people, there has been significant structural damage. “One of the beautiful old buildings on the grounds (pictured, above right), got washed away by an overflowing river, and is completely gone.”

You can find details about damage to the camp, and make a donation to its restoration here.

Another reader, Just Married Real Estate blogger Nick Baldwin, reminisced about the recent vacations he and his wife Anne have taken in the Catskills:

While Anne & I will now only have the memories of our vacations in the Catskills, that cannot even begin to compare to losing everything! Prattsville has a population of just 700, but nearly every single home was demolished in Irene’s wake. There is now a relief effort that has been formed, and you can donate to help rebuild this small town. The relief effort is run by WIOX, a radio station in Roxbury, NY. The number to donate (by check or credit card) is 607-432-1030.

Read the full post here.

Who else has a connection to the Catskills? Did you stay in the bungalow colonies as a kid? Honeymoon at the Condcord? Visited a yoga retreat or ashram? Were you maybe at Woodstock?

Photo of Frost Valley taken by Dan Weir on Sunday early afternoon. Photo of flooded river from here.

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