Hudson Valley resident Pamela Nugent, 35, had her home in Highland Falls, Orange County, flooded during a severe storm on Sunday, July 9, according to GoFundMe. Surrounded and swept away by the flood.
“She came out with too much water in her house,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news conference in Highland Falls on Monday. “She was with her dog and her fiancé saw To see her being swept away. Horror, right here.”
Emergency crews later found Nugent’s body at the bottom of the canyon.
“It was very dangerous for first responders who had to get her out of there,” said Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus. “When they tried to get her to a higher We saw debris falling on them so we could take her to the coroner’s office.”
Nugent’s friend Ivey Jenkins-Long described an “almost apocalyptic scene” as Nugent’s home was surrounded by water.
“They watched the backyard, the gazebo and the 200-year-old retaining wall disappear, leaving a huge hole.
“Then the street in front of the house was washed away and four inches of asphalt broke in seconds and turned into a cliff just fifty yards from the house,” she continued.
Nugent’s dog, a “gentle-tempered” Newfoundland named Minnie, was found next to her body.
Friend Jenkins-Long said the woman’s sudden death had brought “unimaginable loss” to those closest to her.
“Pam is a very bright, smart, funny, kind, positive person with a big heart and ready to do anything for you,” she said, adding that Nugent grew up in nearby Fort Montgomery in Orange County and Actively involved in her community and church.
“She works hard at a prestigious engineering firm; on top of that, she has big plans for her future and her wedding with Rob is just the beginning.”
Jenkins-Long has since created a GoFundMe to help Nugent’s family pay for the memorial. Some of the money raised will also go to the Nugent Memorial near her, she said.
“This is our opportunity to give back to him and his family in their time of need.”
People who want to donate to GoFundMe can do it here.
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