One year ago, Vermont faced historic flooding of catastrophic proportions, resulting in numerous injuries and one reported fatality in Barre. It just happened again last week and it’s worth remembering how the resilience of Vermonters got us through that last flood.
Hardwick Area Neighbor to Neighbor volunteers staff the emergency supply and support center at the Hardwick Senior Center where the documentation needed to track requests for supplies and record who has what is laid out on a table, along with various emergency preparedness handouts. Group Coordinator, Helen Beattie (far left) looks on as volunteer Ken Leslie (standing) delivers dehumidifiers and a sump pump while volunnteers Diane Grenkow (left) and Abrah Griggs help keep track of what’s coming in.
Entire residences filled with memories were wiped out in mere moments. Cellars became choked with rainwater as the streets were swallowed whole by the Lamoille River. Businesses suffered massive losses as water damage ate up their stock and furnishings.
However, through the destruction, Vermonter’s strength and community remained unwavering. Statewide, in places like Greensboro, neighbors lent helping hands to come together.
“Even though we pretty much had our backs to the wall, we still helped each other out as much as we could,” says Greensboro Bend resident Kendly Van Leuven. “With simple things like extenders, generators, pumps, buckets, just anything.”
In places like Cabot and Montpelier, community members found strength in numbers as they took action in massive recovery efforts. In the aftermath of the flood, Vermonters brought in fans to help dry homes and establishments suffering from watery devastation.
Farms across Vermont endured major damage.
“In our hilly state, some of our most fertile farmland lies in the river valleys, and countless fields of corn, hay, vegetables, fruit, and pasture were swamped and buried,” said Anson Tebbetts, Vermont’s agricultural secretary.
The flood, which many Vermont residents compared to Irene in terms of distress and damage, left a lasting impact on the state.
Since the flood, Vermont became the first state to require oil companies to make financial reparations for climate change damage.
Meteorologists claimed over two months’ worth of rain was sweeping through the state in just a few days.
Vermont Officials referred to the flooding as “the state’s worst natural disaster since floods in 1927.”
The flood was declared a major disaster and the state was provided federal support.
Faced with the aftermath of another deluge now, where some towns escaped relatively unscathed and others suffered devastation worse that ever, Vermonters have come together, helping each other where needed and mostly getting through it as they always have.
Megan Cane, intern
