You may remember the scary scene on the Lake George islands three weeks ago: uprooted trees, docks torn apart, and tents left abandoned.

This was the result of storms that crashed down on the area on July 16. The state closed all 49 camping islands until they could clean up and repair the damage.          

After several weeks of work, the Department of Environmental Conservation said all campsites have reopened. DEC cleaned up the islands in good time considering the amount of damage left behind.

“The worst we’ve ever seen,” Bill Bernard, DEC Regional Operations Supervisor. “We came across campsites where there were campers the night before, and everything was crushed, blown away. They literally got in their boats and left.”

Bernard said the DEC had to pull employees from different parts of the state to get the job done before the end of summer.

“We had crews from Stamford and Delmar from Region 4 and downstate Region 3 from New Paltz.”

Bernard said 60 people were cleaning up the mess the first three days after the storms hit the islands on Lake George last month.

To put in perspective how much manpower was needed, fewer than ten DEC employees are usually assigned to work in the Lake George region.

Crews all did it under the beating sun and with limited tools.

“It’s extremely difficult. Different. There’s no excavator, there’s no skid steerer to help you pull out a tree out or to pull it back to shore. It’s all done manually.”

Supplies and machines were brought over by boat.

“They’re extraordinary people. Most of them have spent a lifetime on the lake.”

Now it’s back open for you to enjoy, thanks to the DEC’s hard work.