Schodack Island State Park reopened Thursday, the day after the park was flooded and evacuated during heavy rains that hit the Capital Region and Hudson Valley.
The area around the park — which borders the Hudson River — was hit particularly hard, with the Town of Schodack receiving just under 11 inches of rain, according to data from the National Weather Service.
Some local roads around the park are still closed, and docks at the park’s boat launch were removed to prevent damage under late Thursday afternoon, New York State Parks spokesperson Jim Levulis said in a statement to WAMC. Power was restored Thursday afternoon after the park reopened.
The reopening comes after 23 campers, their pets and park staff had to be evacuated from the park on high-axle vehicles on Wednesday in a “multi-agency effort,” Levulis said. Downed trees and flooding had made the entrance to the park “impassable.”
The parks agency provided campers with hotel accommodations for the night, according to Levulis.
“That was kind of an all-hands-on-deck thing, but nobody got hurt, thank God, and nobody got killed, thank God,” said County Executive Steve McLaughlin, whose team sent trucks and an airboat to help evacuate campers and park staff. “Schodack State Park is sitting right there along the river with a creek, you know, streams running through it, so it can be subject to that type of flooding.”
Campers scheduled to come to Schodack will have the option to cancel or change their reservations, according to Levulis.
