Reading (VT) Strong

Vol. 2, No. 8

On July 9th, I had an outline for a construction update blog well in hand, and was preparing to sit down to flesh it out and post. 

Then the rains came. And came. The rivers swelled, then overflowed. Sometimes, they failed to follow the turns they do in gentler times, and roared straight through homes.  Bridges and roads washed out. Power and internet lines came down. The Reading Historical Society captured some photos to show what things were like here in Reading. In towns nearby, hillsides gave way and washed into town centers, while still other downtowns filled with feet of water, even as there was worry that upriver dams might overflow and unleash an even more destructive torrent of water. All of that devastation from a storm that didn’t even get a name. 

An unnamed storm, with record rainfall

For some, the loss was nearly complete. 

For others, like us, the effects on property were relatively minor, even as we felt for those who lost so much in our community and beyond. 

Nature seemed capricious that day.  And immensely powerful. But we knew that.

Two weeks out, some other things are just as obvious: 

1. The community of Reading is full of caring and hard working people who come together in a time of adversity. Folks with excavators moving debris and repairing roads–assisting our ever diligent highway crew, the work of our fire department and other responders, volunteers helping muck out basements or sort through flooded personal effects, community dinners, medicines and food delivered to those who needed it, fundraisers organized by local businesses and community service organizations, and so much more. From what I can tell, acts like these are occurring all across the affected areas of the state. They reaffirm the best of what community, and humanity, is all about. 

2. “100 year” storms aren’t 100 year storms anymore.  Irene, the last storm of similar magnitude in this area, was just over a decade ago.  As I’ve written a bit about previously, we must prepare — as individuals, as a community, and as a society—for the reality of more frequent, severe storms. This will need to include mitigation efforts to minimize the worst effects of intense rainfall, ever more effective crisis response when disaster does strike, and ongoing support systems for those most deeply affected. 

3. Support will be needed for some time to come. The road back is going to be long. The area has continued to get bouts of heavy rainfall since, causing additional damage, and weighing on the psyche. And, as is so often the case, those with the fewest resources will have the toughest time of it. I hope that you will keep in mind those who have been so affected by these recent floods.

   If you’d like to learn more about what some Vermont organizations are doing to support those affected, both in the crisis response and rebuilding phases, as well as to plan for longer term resilience, there is some good information at the Vermont Community Foundation site. The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont also has information about their work supporting farmers who play such a vital role in the local food systems in Vermont, and who have suffered significant crop loss as a consequence of the rainfall. These links include information on how to make a donation to support various flood relief efforts, should you be so moved to do so. 

Thank you as always for reading, and I look forward to sharing that construction update with you soon. Stay safe, and be well!