Village Bands Together to Rebuild

If there was a common theme that emerged from the worst disaster to strike Ridgewood in over a decade, it was the stories of neighbors helping neighbors, banding together to help rebuild in the wake of destruction.

The Hurricane known as Irene swept through Ridgewood in a torrent of continual rain from Saturday night through Sunday morning. The Saddle River and Ho-Ho-Kus Brook broke their respective banks by several feet, forming one torrent of water that rushed through the low-lying areas of the village. Around 30 residents were evacuated, from Lawns-area homes near Grove Street and the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook, including James Smith of Marshall Street.

Smith, tending to some damaged items in his yard on Monday, said the damage really picked up around 11:00 a.m. Sunday.

"The fire department came over to inform us of the situation and advised us that it would be practical to evacuate," he said. "We took them up on their offer to do so."

Fire department personnel, who rescued pets and families on Sunday, took the Smith family to the end of the street where the water was lower. The Smiths left Ridgewood and returned on Monday to assess the damage.

Luckily, damage to his home was relatively minimal, Smith said. His basement was flooded and there were a series of items laying water-logged in his lawn and driveway.

"We didn't expect the amount of rain and damage," he said, though his family was well prepared with generators, flash lights and other items.

Smith praised the responders for their efforts.

"I thought they did a good job going around making sure people were aware of the situation" and ensuring the gas was off, he said. "The fire department was excellent."

So too was the community effort, he said. "Everybody is coming together in all this."

Clearing the aftermath

Mayor Keith Killion, who was stationed at the second floor of Village Hall with department heads and emergency management staff, had a similar message for village workers.

"I've been asked if there's one specific group that really did more than the others and I really can't say it," he said. "Everybody from emergency responders to street, fire, sanitation and water company all chipped in. They were all in the water trying to get people out of their houses. Everyone did an excellent job."

There were no reports of injury and Killion said the village is past danger. Now, it enters the second phase of operations, pumping out basements, clearing trees and debris and doing insurance paperwork in anticipation of reimbursements.

Although the storm was similar to Floyd, the mayor said preparation was stronger. Village Hall had significant flooding. Water levels reached about 4 feet, though important records and furniture were moved to higher floors. The library, however, was spared of damage and was open to residents on Monday.

One of the top priorities was continuing to clean the central municipal building, which Killion was mopping with various workers for much of early Monday.

Many without power this week

While flooding was the big back-breaker this weekend, many are without any power. And while PSE&G trucks are all around, some will have to make do and rely on friends and neighbors.

Amy Kammen of Avondale Road, which has power lines down from trees falling, was one such resident. Kammen was one of between 500 and 2,000 residents are still without power as of Monday afternoon, many around the northwest section of Ridgewood near Willard School.

Some will be seeing a return on Monday, others will have to wait.

"We lost power around 4 p.m. Sunday. Apparently a tree fell during the wind storm and we still don't have power," she said early Monday afternoon. Kammen reported that the date for an electrical return was still five days away.

It may be a major inconvenience, but Kammen is taking it all in stride thanks to the Ridgewood community.

"Everyone's been great, opening their doors to us offering meals. It's just been great," she said behind the backdrop of downed telephone wires and smashed trees on Glenwood Road with friend Jennifer Valerio.

Hot meals and warm hearts

Valerio and her family weren't entirely unscathed by Irene, but they fared well, all in all. A tree collapsed on the telephone lines, knocking out cable and phone but they still had power. And they intended to use it. But, as the old adage goes, sharing is caring.

"Just in case anybody needs a warm meal or a place to charge phones, they can come here," Valerio said. While the village hasn't gotten to clearing her area, she wasn't upset given the variety of issues that had cropped up in all corners.

"The town has a lot to do and I feel really bad for those who have major issues and serious damage. It's a horrible thing to have your home vandalized in a way by this storm. I feel for everyone," she said, adding that her house "is open" to those who need a hot meal or a phone charge.

If she could make one suggestion, Valerio recommended the village prune trees in advance. The west side was particularly hard hit by downed trees, far worse than the east side, which took more water damage. She was told in the past that budget cuts couldn't accommodate her request, she said.

"We're on the list," resident says

Mike Hallowell of Avondale Road knows better than anyone what damage a tree can do in the heat of a storm. Hallowell's front lawn was the site of a massive uprooted tree resting atop his roof.

When the tree fell, Hallowell was home with his family, which escaped without injury though it was undoubtedly quite a scare. "We were home, the tree fell about 4 o'clock in the afternoon and gave out with the water.

The building inspector came to look at the structural damage to the house, but Hallowell said it's too early to know what sort of financial toll it will take. "It doesn't seem so bad though," he said, adding that there's no table-time for a cleanup.

"We're on the list," he said.

Resident Irene takes on Hurricane Irene

One resident took a good-natured ribbing from friends and neighbors as the storm hit.

"It's been pretty funny," said Irene Alvarez of Allen Place. "I've gotten a lot of good-natured teasing. It was weird knowing the devastation and all the media hype that occurred. I felt responsible for people's devastating damage and maybe deaths."

Alvarez had lost power but was up and running on Monday and spare a few lost shingles on the roof, didn't have serious damage to her house on a tight-knit block of seven houses.

She saw water gushing out of Graydon Pool, splitting the village in two as the brook merged with the Saddle River; cars stranded in high water on East Glen Avenue, and the heavily-damaged high school fields. But, like the other residents, she saw a community band together to make the best of a bad situation.

"That was the nicest part of the whole event. Everyone's been helping each other gathering up all the debris, the sticks. It was kind of nice without power. Walking along I've spoken to neighbors I haven't spoken to in years," she said.

Indeed, it takes a village.