The damage done by Irene and Lee in the Mohawk Valley is familiar to most of us, with many of the images imprinted on our minds from last year. But the storms also left a lot of damage in Albany County as well. YNN's Beth Croughan went to Berne to hear the county's final tally of the damage.

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ALBANY COUNTY, N.Y. -- Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said, "August 28th, 2011 changed a lot of lives in Albany County."

That was the day Irene hit the area.

"We had over 15-inches of rain that accumulated in hours. A lot of destruction up here in the hill towns."

The storm is described as the largest FEMA Disaster Declaration in county history. More than $12 million has been claimed to cover costs incurred during and after the storm.

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said, "We got overtime back. That goes back to the taxpayers. They paid for the damage to some of our humvees that we got already free from the military, but some of them tore out transmissions or tires, or whatever, running over items in the road that you couldn't see."

According to the county, there have been nearly 800 individual claims, totaling more than $3.5 million. The money, coming from both the state and federal government.

Congressman Paul Tonko said, "It's good to know that $12 million plus has found its way into Albany County. It's the beginning of a comeback story that speaks to the strength and the commitment and the spirit of the people of this region."

In Berne, the story shows there's still work to be done. But for a town that saw about $400,000 in damage, the supervisor says it is important to notice just how far they've come.

Berne Town Supervisor Kevin Crosier said, "I think what people have to understand is the magnitude of this disaster. Counties and counties, just thousands of homes destroyed. And within ten months look at how far we are. I think people have to look at that."