We just had the power restored here this evening after nearly 5 days. We lost power at 6:45 am Sunday morning at the height of Irene. It was wicked. Very strong winds and heavy rains late Saturday night into early Sunday afternoon. I couldn't sleep at all Saturday night listening to what was happening outside. I actually had to turn on the air conditioner to drown out the sound! We were very fortunate that we only had water in the cellar which I spent a great part of Sunday bailing out. By the time the fire department arrived the water level was too low for them to pump the water out. The water receded overnight thankfully which no longer required any further action on my part. Alot of trees down in the area but none on my property. Things outside of town are a whole different story. In Rhinebeck across the river from me, the water system has been compromised. Water bottles have been imported to the towns residents. In the mountainous areas of the Catskills, there is some very serious devastation. Bridges and roads are washed out. According to a gentleman who works for the county highway department, 8 bridges are gone. Residents have lost homes, busineses washed out by the storm. Towns literally destroyed. Many trees are down cutting off people for some time. They say power in these areas might not be restored for 2 - 3 weeks. Again, I feel very fortunate when my only inconvienance was a power outage. Yeah, walking around in the dark and going out for meals for breakfast and dinner got old real quick. It's something I will never forget. I hope at this point to either volunteer and help some of these poor people in whatever capacity I can or at the very least donate to a relief effort. I feel at this point it's the least I can do.