Breathtaking vista views and clean mountain air are both quintessential attributes of Vermont. The Green Mountain State is known for being a beautiful and safe place to raise a family. It’s no wonder that it’s a popular place to move to. Interestingly, one local news agency conducted a survey which found that approximately one third of all new residents in Vermont moved there for climate-related reasons. When taking into account a 2020 ProPublica analysis which identified one county in Vermont, across the entire United States, that could be most protected from the effects of climate change, including rising sea-levels, wildfires, agricultural damage, it’s easy to see why Vermont would be considered a climate-change haven. However, when the flood waters began to rise in July, all of this was put into question.
On July 10, 2023, Vermont was hit hard by a 1-in-100-year storm. With it came heavy rains, which flooded homes and washed-out roads. As repair work quickly began after the initial storm, efforts were hindered by heavier rainstorms within a few days. The Great Vermont Flood of July 2023, as the National Weather Service refers to it, brought with it catastrophic rains which amounted to up to 10 inches of rain in just 48 hours. Initial reports estimated that up to 4000 homes and 800 businesses were damaged by the flood.
As is true for much of the US, most Vermonters do not have flood insurance policies, even though floods are excluded from standard home insurance policies. Many people were left with little resources to recover their losses. Life for Relief and Development went to the area to offer assistance. From July 18th to August 31st, Life partnered with Mutual Aid Disaster Relief to meet a range of needs of those affected. LIFE could provide transport of relief items to people in isolated and underserved areas, distributed relief supplies to 6000 people, and provided hands-on assistance with flood cleanup in dozens of homes. One of the biggest problems is mold remediation. This project included education for residents. Needs were verified from household to household. This relief project stayed flexible to allow people to choose what they needed most. They were offered everything from toilet paper and food to dehumidifiers and respirators.
None of this would have been possible without the generous contributions made by our donors. The Great Vermont Flood stands as a reminder that we are all vulnerable to natural disasters. A person never knows when they might find themselves in desperate need of help. That is when we need the support of our community the most.
Photo of the tops of cars with flooded water all around them.
