Devastation and resilience

Area residents cope with Hurricane Irene’s epic floods TUXEDO — A shamrock still hangs above the bar in the basement of Tuxedo resident Lisa Petriello’s home, perhaps symbolizing the family’s luck that no one was injured in the flood waters created by the fury of Hurricane Irene last weekend. The raging Ramapo River showed no mercy as it spread across the East Village section of Tuxedo, destroying the East Village Bridge as it headed toward the 103 homes on that side of town. Brown, murky water was everywhere, leaving its muddy residue as an unwanted souvenir once it was pumped out of basements and receded from village roads. Petriello, clearly thankful that her family was spared, knows that’s the only thing that really matters. Still, it’s almost impossible to not be emotional when looking at what’s left behind and knowing that irreplaceable mementos of her family’s life were gone. “I’m devastated,” said Petriello on Tuesday morning. “My whole life is just gone. It’s been turned upside down. Thank God that we’re alive, standing here, breathing. But I’ve lost everything … lost all the contents of my finished basement. It was more than five feet of water.” Itemizing the things not covered by insurance Petriello was among the many area residents facing the reality of what the aftermath of a storm like Irene brings. Many continue to cope with the varying degrees of destruction that trespassed into their lives. “What was my first reaction?” said Petriello, who returned to see what happened to her home on Monday. “I sat on my lawn, which my husband just finished with brand-new landscaping, and I cried. That was my first reaction. It’s total devastation. It’s something that I didn’t expect.” Personal items lost include all her daughter’s toys, her daughter’s baby photos, an antique cookbook collection, two flat screen televisions, furniture and the family’s Yankees, Rangers, Giants and NASCAR sports memorabilia collections. Also damaged beyond repair were the home’s furnace, hot water heater and washer and dryer. While Petriello has flood insurance, she believes it only covers the furnace and hot water heater. She believes personal items are excluded. More heartbreaking was to see the reaction of her 14-year-old daughter Allyssa, who will enter George F. Baker High School next Tuesday. “To see my little girl just break down and cry … this was her place,” Petriello said. “She brought all her friends here. We can’t salvage anything. There is nothing to save.” Further evacuation To add to her distress, Petriello and her family had to evacuate their home due to the diesel fuel leaks from SOS Fuels, located across the street from the home. They are now staying with her mother in Southfields. Her brother is also coping with losses at his home on the other side of Tuxedo where he, too, had about five feet of water in his basement. “We can’t stay here,” said Petriello. “There’s the smell of diesel fuel. There’s diesel fuel in the water and it came in here. I had over five feet of water. It just takes out everything.” Despite her anguish, Petriello had high praise for Tuxedo’s first responders. “Kudos to our town police and ambulance and fire department,” she said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be standing in this basement. They’re good people.” As Petriello and her family begin to pick up the water soaked bits of their lives, she knows what in direction the family must go now. “You always run the risk if you live by any kind of water,” said Petriello. “Did I ever expect this? Never in my life. Your heart would be broken if you were to see all this. We’re just going to pick up the pieces and move on. Nature is very cruel at times, and my house is an example of this. But we’re living and breathing and my family is healthy and we will move forward.”