A year ago Tropical Storm Irene devastated parts of Northern New Hampshire. One hard-hit business was the Crawford Notch campground, which was cut off from the rest of the state for three days by the storm.
Campground owner, Richard Garabedian, watched Tropical Storm Irene wash away 1.6 acres of his riverside campground, and the only roads that connected his business to the rest of the state.
He chuckles and says, "I still don’t sleep when it rains."
He says the repairs cost more than six-figures, which he had to get through bank loans because FEMA aidwasn’t allocated to businesses. Thinking back he remembers saying, "I’m washed out here, I lost land, I gotta rebuild all my roads, I got picnic tables I can’t find; all washed away destroyed."
But despite the expense and the slow permitting process Garabedian says his and other North Country businesses are making a modest recovery.
The economy is still tough for businesses that rely on tourism, but Garabedian says "Mother nature has cooperated on the weather front this year. It has been some very nice weekends."