natural disasters

Bear Mountain State Park, Appalachian Trail Remain Closed 4 Weeks After Storm

August 7, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Bear Mountain State Park is closed due to damage from a heavy rainstorm and flash floods on Sunday, July 9th. The storm’s epicenter landed near West Point, NY, where as much as 9 inches of rain fell in less than six hours – an unprecedented amount that overwhelmed local infrastructure and landscapes.

There was tragic loss of life and destruction in nearby towns, and the floods caused significant damage in nearby Palisades Parks and closed the Appalachian Trail. [Read more…] about Bear Mountain State Park, Appalachian Trail Remain Closed 4 Weeks After Storm

A Tornado in Schenectady, 1847

June 18, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

TORNADO AT SCHENECTADY. On Saturday last [August 28, 1847], about four o’clock in the afternoon, Schenectady was visited by a phenomenon unusual in these high latitudes. Gentlemen who witnessed its inception, relate that a heavy storm seemed gathering over the high grounds which bound the city on the East, when suddenly large clouds were seen to rush towards each other from opposite directions with amazing velocity. [Read more…] about A Tornado in Schenectady, 1847

Historic Snowstorms of Central New York

January 12, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Central New York is renowned as one of the snowiest regions in the world. In the past, major snowstorms have crippled cities, towns, and farming country for weeks at a time.

From the Lake Ontario port in Oswego to the busy streets of Syracuse and Utica, every community in the region has found themselves buried from brutal snowstorms. [Read more…] about Historic Snowstorms of Central New York

Massacres & Migrants at Sea: Deadly Voyages To New York

January 11, 2023 by Jaap Harskamp 1 Comment

The 1840s brought about a transformation in the nature of transatlantic shipping. With the development of European colonial empires, the forced transportation of African slaves had become big business.

Liverpool was the focus of the British slave trade. As a result of crusading abolitionist movements and subsequent legal intervention, the brutal practice declined there during that decade. But more or less simultaneously a new form of people trafficking took its place. [Read more…] about Massacres & Migrants at Sea: Deadly Voyages To New York

The Aftermath of The Hurricane of 1938

December 8, 2022 by Chris Kretz Leave a Comment

Much has been written about September 21st, 1938, the day that a massive hurricane hit Long Island. For Jonathan C. Bergman, the more interesting story began the day after.

His extensive research focused on the cleanup and disaster relief efforts orchestrated by a shifting network of Red Cross officials, New Deal workers, Suffolk County agencies, churchgoers, and volunteers. [Read more…] about The Aftermath of The Hurricane of 1938

Its Been 50 Years Since Hurricane Agnes Swept Through New York

June 18, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

This month marks the 50th anniversary of Hurricane Agnes, which ravaged the mid-Atlantic and northeast region in June 1972. At the time, it was the most destructive tropical cyclone in American history and the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time. [Read more…] about Its Been 50 Years Since Hurricane Agnes Swept Through New York

Historic North Country Disasters (Podcast)

March 17, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

In this episode of Second Look, Chris Brock takes the lead in this interview with Cheri L. Farnsworth, author of a multitude of books about Northern New York history, about her newest book Historic North Country Disasters.

In it, she compiles both the man-made and natural disasters that shocked the North Country in the hundred years between 1850 and 1950. [Read more…] about Historic North Country Disasters (Podcast)