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” of rain Friday afternoon, July 7, causing the closure of Route 4 near the gondola and Route 100 in West Bridgewater. Gov. Scott and Transportation Secretary Flynn surveyed damage on Saturday and met with Killington Selectboard members along with me, Rutland Senator Terry Williams, House Transportation Vice Chair, Rep. Butch Shaw and Beth from the KPAA. This followed a long night by selectboard 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 on July 11 the President signed a Disaster Declaration for the State. Scott has been holding daily press briefings this week with updates.
While the worst of the flooding is behind us with most waterways receding, there remains concern over new rain expected Thursday and Friday, July 13 and 14. And on a positive note, the Killington Resort announced the resumption of full resort activities effective today.
Please stay safe.
Rep. Jim Harrison
You may reach me at JHarrison@leg.state.vt.us or my cell 802-236-3001.
Important Resources:
Vermont Emergency Management Facebook: www.facebook.com/vermontemergencymanagement
511 (state road closures) on the web: https://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 www.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.