On Aug. 28, 2011, Tropical Storm Irene tore through Vermont, destroying bridges, washing out roads, taking houses and even six human lives with record-breaking winds and floods.
Now, one year into recovery, communities all across Vermont have come together to remember the flood, to mourn all that was lost and to celebrate the spirit of generosity and resilience that marked the weeks following Irene's devastation.
Vermont State Governor Peter Shumlin spent the four days leading up to Irene's anniversary travelling to some of the hardest-hit towns in the state to congratulate communities on their heroic recovery efforts.
"Vermonters have a lot to celebrate on the one-year anniversary of Irene," said Shumlin in a press release concerning his visits. "But we also need to recognize that many people and communities still need our help."
Vermont's Irene Recovery Officer Sue Minter echoed these sentiments.
"Number one, we've come a long way.," said Minter. "We've been able to accomplish so much because of this "˜Vermont Strong' spirit ... The other part is that we do have a long road ahead. While for the vast majority, things are starting to get back to normal, there are still a large number of people in very difficult situations."
Here in Middlebury, it is easy to miss these struggles that continue in other parts of the state. Horticulturist Tim Parsons wrote in a blog post that the Middlebury Campus Weather Station reported just 3.21 inches of rain during the tropical storm --– a significant amount, but much less than the four to eight inches reported by the National Weather Service in some of the harder-hit communities.
Middlebury farmer Spencer Blackwell recalled the rainfall during Irene.
"That's a lot of rain to get all at once and nothing that we would welcome, but it was not catastrophic by any means," said Blackwell.
Other towns were not so lucky.
Greg Joly, longtime resident of Jamaica, Vt. and volunteer organizer in the aftermath of the storm, told a very different story from Blackwell.
According to Joly, "Jamaica was the worst hit in the state.
"We couldn't drive here into our valley for almost four weeks," he said. "Our whole valley was washed out."
While Joly's home did not see any damage due to its high elevation, many in his community expereinced severe flooding and he wasted no time in getting out to assess the damage and help those in need.
Minter also emphasized this selflessness that brought communities together to share the support and resources they had.
"Literally people fed one another; they had homeschooling on the [Pittsfield Vt.] town green. It was really amazing," said Minter, referring to the overwhelming neighborly support given in Pittsfield in the wake of the storm. "The way in which people came together – I don't think it happens everywhere. I think we have a special place right here."
When asked what pressing issues remain in Jamaica a year after the storm, Joly replied, "The big one that people are waiting on is the remediation buyouts."
These buyouts are made by the state and by the Federal Emergecy Management Agency (FEMA): 75 percent of the home value comes from FEMA (under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program) while 25 percent comes from the state government.
The program kicks in when a town and a homeowner agree to a buyout, based on the assumption that the property is at risk of future flooding and is thus a potential cost to taxpayers down the line. The homeowner applies to the state, the state reviews the application, and if it's acceptable, the state passes the application along to FEMA where it is reviewed again. If FEMA approves, the homeowner is reimbursed for the value of the home prior to the flood.
While it sounds promising, the turnaround is often lengthy.
"In February the state reviewed all of these applications," said Minter. "In March they sent them to the federal government."
Of the 108 applications filed by the state in March, only 17 have been accepted and processed by FEMA to date, leaving 91 families not just waiting on money a year after the storm, but actually waiting for the decision on whether or not they will be awarded the money at all.
In the interim, many of them are paying taxes and even paying off mortgages on these homes that now exist only on paper.
Of these 91 washed-away homes, four of them had been located by the river in Jamaica where, as far as Joly could see, the owners are running out of patience.
"Those folks with the four houses were told that the money would come in March, then they were told June, then August, then September and now maybe Christmas," said Joly.
"It has been extremely challenging and frustrating for many Vermonters," said Minter, "to be waiting over a year to know whether or not they're going to get money from the federal government to help buy them out and move on with their lives."
According to a news release from FEMA concerning buyouts made in other parts of the country, this process could take up to two years.
When Shumlin made his way to Jamaica to connect with some of its nearly 1,000 residents on the anniversary of Irene, only one person was there to greet him.
As Joly put it, "people felt like the governor was coming on a meet and greet tour during an election season."
"We didn't need to be told we were "˜Vermont strong,'" he said. We needed help."
Outside of Jamaica, many other towns across Vermont also still have families –particularly low-income families – living in temporary housing, waiting for money to come through. According to Minter, "there were 7,000 Vermonters who applied for funding from FEMA ... now we know of at least 700 of [them] still have significant needs. We know of people living literally in tents [while] building their houses."
When asked how long it will be until people can expect to see Vermont fully put back together, Minter sighed.
"If I look at infrastructure, [I think we'll be able to say] in another year or definitely in two years [that] we've accomplished recovery from Irene. But when I'm dealing with peoples' lives and how they're going to get back to normal when they've lost everything, or farms, or small local economies ... those are much longer term effects. We're just going to have to keep working and thinking."
In the meantime, she added, "we need volunteers, and students are the best kind."
SerVermont is the organization putting volunteers to work. More information is located at www.vermontstrong.vt.gov.
Looking Back on Irene's Anniversary
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