I write this one month before the July 10 anniversary of 2023 and 2024 flooding as I wonder if Vermont towns, their residents, second home owners and visitors are prepared for another summer flood.
Despite frustrations and delays in working with FEMA and state agencies, most towns and road crews in the Hardwick area seem to have made good progress in repairing roads, upgrading culverts, adding rip-rap and planting trees along rivers and streams to reduce erosion.
Much work remains to be done, some of which has been further delayed by this year’s federal funding cuts. In Hardwick, that work includes a study of the Lamoille River corridor through the downtown that’s been delayed indefinitely. On the plus side, we’ve learned work to replace the swinging bridge and a main street retaining wall between it and the Village Restaurant is on track to begin soon.
A huge, new culvert, hardened with stone walls at both ends, has recently been installed on Menard Road in Cabot for a Winooski River tributary. Work there to rebuild Harry’s Hardware and reinforce the drainage into the Winooski has been completed, though a potential buyout of the Cabot Garage is still pending.
With towns doing their part, how can area residents best prepare?
Signing up for the VT–ALERT system might be a good first step. The service will update Vermonters about extreme weather, road closures, infrastructure alerts, culvert overflowing, and boil water notices. It’s available as an app or on the state’s website. Residents can tailor the alerts to specific locations, types of alerts and on which devices they will be notified.
Users can download, and receive alerts via the mobile app or continue to get them via SMS/Text, e-mail, mobile phone, work or home phone, and TTY/TDD devices. Users can prioritize notifications by specifying the order of communication type and method. Up to five (5) additional locations in Vermont can be specified for which to receive alerts. They could include, for example, towns where other family members live, or where children attend school.
In the last several years, many local groups have sprung up to provide assistance in emergencies, with flooding being the biggest recent examples. Get to know what resources exist in your town before an emergency arises. In Hardwick, the new TextMyGov alert system will provide local updates. Sign up at hardwickvt.gov/hardwick-textmygov/
Hardwick Area Neighbor-to-Neighbor is a grassroots group committed to providing community assistance in almost any situation. Information is available on its Facebook page at facebook.com/hardwickneighbors
A call to the town clerk in other towns will help find appropriate resources.
A Vermont Edition story in May on Vermont Public shared information from a listener named Peg who lost her home to flooding years ago. “She called in to share some flood-proofing suggestions for property owners, including investing in flood shields, bulkhead protection doors, and flood insurance,” it said.
Other recommendations are to have a go-bag ready with the most essential items needed if one has to leave home quickly for an unknown length of time, suggested Vermont Edition. It ended, with Megan Mathers of Northeast Kingdom Organizing and the Kingdom United Resilience and Recovery Effort saying, “taking care of your mental health is an important aspect of remaining resilient during and after an impactful weather event. KURRVE provides services to help people stay mentally stable during an unstable time.”
And, after all that, let’s prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
Paul Fixx
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
