The past few days have seen flood devastation throughout Vermont, a stark reminder of what the state experienced from Tropical Storm Irene a dozen years ago. The “Vermont Strong” slogan showed that Vermonters were resilient and would persevere to overcome any obstacles thrown their way.
And while there was not a hurricane or tropical storm this time, the tremendous amount of rain and resultant flooding caused widespread damage.
Fortunately, some areas did not see the destruction that Irene brought us. How can we forget Route 4 being destroyed in Mendon or Pittsfield becoming an island for several weeks as the roads and bridges accessing the town were taken out. Nonetheless, many areas did experience significant damage, including Killington, Ludlow, Weston, Londonderry, Barre, and Montpelier.
Killington and parts of Bridgewater took early hits with over 4 inches of rain Friday, July 7, causing the closure of Route 4 near the gondola and Route 100 in West Bridgewater. Governor Scott and Transportation Secretary Flynn surveyed damage on Saturday and met with Killington Select Board members along with me, Rutland Senator Terry Williams, House Transportation Vice Chair Rep. Butch Shaw and Beth Sarandrea from the KPAA. This followed a long night by Select Board member Jim Haff monitoring the situation and supporting the efforts by delivering sandwiches and pizza to construction workers at multiple sites in town.
The governor instituted a state of emergency ahead of Monday’s storm and the president signed a disaster declaration for the state.
Killington Resort announced the resumption of full resort activities effective July 13.
Important Resources:
Vermont Emergency Management Facebook: facebook.com/vermontemergencymanagement 511 (state road closures) on the web: newengland511.org.
Vermont Alert delivers up to the minute weather and other warnings to your phone or email. These alerts are personalized to notify you of problems in specific areas. The service is free; you can register at vtalert.gov.
Volunteering
If you are wondering how you can help: You can either register at Vermont.gov/volunteer so that you can be contacted when the time is right, or through a reputable disaster relief organization directly and become part of their team.
Jim Harrison is the state representative for the Rutland-11 district, which includes Chittenden, Killington, Mendon & Pittsfield. You may reach him at JHarrison@leg.state.vt.us or 802-236-3001.
