Schoharie County residents gathered Sunday to remember and celebrate the progress that's been made in the five years since Tropical Storm Irene devastated their community. Michael Howard has more on how they looked back, as well as details on a community art project aimed at looking towards the future.  

MIDDLEBURGH, N.Y. -- Reflecting on the last five years of helping to rebuild a community, past director of Schoharie Recovery Josh DeBartolo says they’ve come a long way.

“I want my son and the future generations of this county to learn from the stories of the resilience of the men and women who I saw achieve amazing things in the wake of disaster," said DeBartolo.

Five years ago Sunday tropical storm Irene dumped heavy rain leading to severe flooding, hundreds of people in the County lost their homes, their businesses and everything they owned. 

“Hundreds of local residents and volunteers from near and far have labored tirelessly for the past year rebuilding homes and businesses," said SALT development director Jerrine Corallo. 

Sunday the Schoharie County Area Long Term, or SALT, hosted a ceremony to remember and give thanks to the community for their recovery efforts along with showing off their community art project, these chalk boards setup across the area, asking residents to write down what is their dream for the county.

Residents say while the storm devastated their community, in the years since they have stood strong and come back better than ever. 

“People set their differences aside and we rebuilt as a community together," said DeBartolo.