It’s been a memorable March thus far in Narrowsburg and surrounding areas: no power for almost a week, downed trees we’ll be cleaning up for years to come, and a textbook case of how a community comes together to cope in an emergency.

The Luxton Lake section of Narrowsburg where I live lost power right away that Friday morning as the nor’easter moved into Sullivan County. But, I managed quite nicely in the storm by camping out with the kids at Rick Maloney’s house. Rick’s been my best friend and go-to guy for over a decade, not to mention the father of my children. And if I knew one thing on March 2, as the storm was hammering us with heavy snow and wind, it was that we’d be safe and well taken care of at Rick’s. And we weren’t alone.

Rick’s house, which doubles as headquarters for his business Narrowsburg Electric, is at the end of a private dirt road, distinctly off the beaten path. But the path to his door was well worn during and after the storm. Rick’s generator kept the house functioning, his two woodstoves were constantly stoked to keep things toasty, and his 12-cup coffeepot was in constant brew mode. Friends and neighbors stopped by regularly looking for a hot shower, a warm meal, and a place to fill five-gallon buckets of water. With the phones out of commission (still, 10 days later, I don’t have phone, cable or Internet service), other visitors were customers and contractors in need of emergency electrical work.

Rick’s neighbor Arthur Crick had not one, but two trees fall on his house, breaking the roof structure and exposing the interior to the elements, so he’s staying Rick’s until it can be repaired. Two other seasonal cabins in Luxton Lake also had large trees fall on them. Thankfully they were unoccupied; the extent of the damage is yet to be determined.

The roads in Luxton Lake are private, so the residents are responsible for maintaining them. Will Reeves and O’Neil Newell wasted no time getting out their chainsaws and clearing downed trees off the roads. With the roads unblocked, Lurch Campfield was able to get through with his plow and keep our roads drivable.

We’re still recovering and trying to get back to normal. I want to say thank you to Rick, as well as to the Town of Tusten’s unflappable supervisor Carol Wingert who was working around the clock to keep the town’s residents safe. It’s people like you who make Narrowsburg the kind of place I want to call home, even when it’s covered with two feet of snow.