PROCTORSVILLE, Vt. – A year after the catastrophic floods that devastated Vermont, many are still rebuilding. Residents of Cavendish and Proctorsville are among them.
Stefan Beaumont and Wendy E. Reynolds of Red Vault Productions know firsthand what it is like to have to put their lives back together after they lost their home and business in last year’s flooding. As the anniversary approached, they planned to premiere the short film they created during the tumultuous past year.
“We had made this film just for our community and our closure, but on the anniversary of the flood, when the flooding was happening again up north, we realized it could do so much more than that,” said Reynolds.
Beaumont and Reynolds started conducting interviews four weeks after the 2023 flood hit their street, while in the remediation process of their home.
“We started doing interviews on our street because of the frustrations we were all having finding financial support,” said Beaumont. “But as we got into the edit process many months later, it became cathartic for me, and we saw it as a rally cry for the small communities that stand together despite the odds.”
Still without insurance payouts, significant FEMA monies, or enough aid from the government, the rebuilding and getting back to normal has been a slow process. On July 13, the residents of Cavendish gathered to unite in spirit and watch the premiere of “The Forgotten.” The outdoor screening took place at The Crow, another local business hit hard by the 2023 floods. Members of the community made donations to the 2024 flood survivors.
The filmmakers expect that the film will offer hope and some perspective of what these people go through. “It’s not only a physical journey, but an emotional one. And if it wasn’t for our community and families, we would not be back in our home right now,” says Reynolds. “We are still rebuilding.”
Produced by Planet Axis, a local nonprofit, the film will be showing at the Savoy Theater in Montpelier on Aug. 1, with guest speakers Margaret Caulfield of Cavendish Connects and Melissa Rockhill. Another outdoor community event is scheduled at Okemo Valley TV for Aug. 3, to continue to raise funds for 2024 flood survivors.
If you are unable to attend and want to support, please go to www.planetaxis.org/what-we-do to donate. All funds will be distributed by early September to those identified with the most need.