Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Rod Aftuck, remembers the big Corning flood.

Hello Alan:

Thought I’d share a thought on the 72 flood having been born and raised in Corning NY.

We lived in a modest home a few miles from the Glass Center along the Chemung River only a few hundred yard from the dikes along it. At the time I was Junior at Corning East High and had just finished school for the summer. My mother worked at the Pyrex plant and my father was a Gaffer for Steuben. At that age there where many other things on my mind that time of year other than the a rain storm. I recall my parents having listened to the news and started moving everything of value from the basement to the first floor. Late, the day prior to the flood we went to stay with friends on “The Hill” as we called it or the streets above the city on the South Side. When daylight broke from the hill you could look down upon the city and see buildings and tress poking out from a huge brown lake that took over the city, the Glass Center and Museum included.

It was several days before the water receded and when we got home the water had risen to with in 3 inches of our second floor. So much for moving every thing from the basement up a floor. Everything was covered with several inches of mud. It took time but we cleaned up and rebuilt. Being a Steuben family, we had quite a collection of the Modern Steuben. As of today, I still have some pieces that went through the flood that have mud in the creases of the glass.

Corning Inc. and the Houghton family took the community under their wing and lead the charge to rebuild and help people get back on their feet. I was one of the youth of the community that worked for and was paid by Corning to help not only the company but anyone in the community that needed help to clean up and get things back together.

Its been 40 years but it seems like yesterday. Just thought I’d throw in my 2 cents.

Rod Aftuck

Atlanta, GA