Family Life

09.02.11 | Sarah Harnisch

 Hikers, campers, fishers, and paddlers heading for New York's Adirondack and Catskill mountains for the Labor Day weekend may want to rethink their plans. They will find Irene has carved up the backcountry-- washing away entire trails, log bridges, and collapsing roads to some of the most popular trailheads. In the Adirondacks, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has closed every single trail to the highest and most popular summits in the High Peaks, Giant Mountain, and Dix Mountain wilderness areas. Labor Day weekend is one of the busiest weekends of the year. With several thousand hikers on the trail each day and parking lots filled to capacity, they usually have to turn people away. If you want to see a list of damages to a park you may be considering visiting, go here. If you need the phone numbers at any of the state parks to call before you head out, go here.

  Meanwhile, New York's insurance chief says if you have flood insurance and had damage from hurricane irene, you will get a check in the mail. He said insurers are wrong when some tell policy holders that damage from a tropical storm isn't covered by flood insurance. Financial Services Superintendant Benjamin Lawsky told our news partner WETM T.V. that no insurer should even consider denying payments under a flood insurance policy. He also said there should not be any deductables, and if there are, you should check to see if you're being scammed. Standard homeowner's insurance and renter's insurance do not cover flood damage. There is a state insurance disaster hotline if you have any questions. The number is 1-800-339-1759, and it's open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.