The Spring Rains • 11 March 2011

An Orange County Highway Department worker closes the bridge at East Villege Rd which connects the East Village of Tuxedo to Rt. 17 as the Ramapo River starts to rise after the overnight rain in the town of Tuxedo on March 11, 2011.
JOHN MEORE/for the Times Herald-Record

An over head view of the Ramapo River from Arden House Rd. which sits between the New York State Thruway on the left after and the Metro-North railroad tracks on the right, as the overnight rain let up in the Town of Tuxedo on March 11, 2011.
JOHN MEORE/for the Times Herald-Record

A view of the flooded Arden Flats which sits inbetween Rt. 17 and the  Metro-North Train Tracks (background) with the New York State Thruway in the far background, after the overnight rain let up in the Town of Tuxedo on March 11, 2011.  The Ramapo River is on the far side of the railroad tracks.
JOHN MEORE/for the Times Herald-Record

A view of the Ramapo River visitor parking lot just off County Rt. 106 (Lake Kanewauke Rd.) on the northern end of the Town of Tuxedo, after the overnight rain let up in the town of Tuxedo on March 11, 2011.
JOHN MEORE/for the Times Herald-Record

A view of the Ramapo River visitor parking lot just off County Rt. 106 (Lake Kanewauke Rd.) on the northern end of the Town of Tuxedo, after the overnight rain let up in the town of Tuxedo on March 11, 2011.
JOHN MEORE/for the Times Herald-Record

The spring rains fall and the Ramapo river rises.  After a couple days of hard rain, the water travels down from all the mountain creeks, floods the roads and forces the school to close.  With rain in the forecast, I got the call last night to head out in the morning and shoot the flooding in Tuxedo and the possible closing of Rt 17.  It happens so often that it is now news...
The first thing to happen is the closing of the East Village Rd. bridge.  This bridge is the only way to get to the section of Tuxedo, the East Village, that is located on the east side of the NYS Thruway.  This bridge has been washed out many times, once leaving people stranded for 4 days.