Adelphi staff encourages emergency preparations

One week after Hurricane Irene stormed through New York followed Tropical Storm Lee that dropped nearly a foot of water in the Susquehanna River valley and forced more than 20,000 residents to evacuate their homes in Broome County, including Debbi Grogran.

Geoff Grogran, Art History chair at Adelphi University, was at school when his wife sent him a Skype message with the news. Grogan, who lives in Garden City during the week and in Ouaquaga with Debbi on the weekends, said, welling with tears, that he was devastated by the revelation. “Emotionally, it’s still something that’s difficult to deal with and I can’t tell you why,” he said, adding that he would have liked to be with Debbi when she was leaving their home.

The Susquehanna River that runs behind the Grogan’s home rose 25 to 30 feet in two days, said Geoff. The water, he said, filled their barn, basement and later learned it crested on the first floor of their home before receding.

“We weren’t prepared at all,” said Geoff. “It was happening so quickly.”

The damage, Geoff recalled, was “extensive.” Debbi, an artist who sold handmade jewelry out of their barn, learned her store was destroyed, mud covering her crafts; Geoff had to replace basement insulation; and they both scooped six inches of mud out of their pool.

Be ready before the storm hits, he told students and faculty during an emergency preparedness event at Adelphi.

According to the inaugural Adelphi University Center for Health Innovation poll, 44 percent of Americans don’t have first-aid kits and 48 percent lack emergency supplies.

“A lot of people don’t have the supplies they need to be self-sufficient for 72 hours,” said Meghan McPherson, coordinator of the Center for Health Innovation at Adelphi University. “You can’t wait for the government, until their resources are available.”

McPherson’s number one recommendation: “Technology does fail. Rely on an old fashion piece of paper for phone numbers.”