I’ve a daughter who lives in Montpelier Vermont. Yesterday the state capital of Vermont looked more like Venice. The roads looked like canals. That’s some serious flooding.
Normally the Winooski looks like a trickling trout stream. It’s a pretty low volume river -more of a big brook. Now it’s a city sized lake.
Not only is the downtown flooded, all roads in and out were impassable. Fortunately, my daughter and her family live on high ground. Unfortunately, my son-in-law works downtown. His office is on the third floor so it was fine. However, all the business records were stored in the basement. It was a mad scramble trying to move them in time.
There’s a fair amount of footage of the flooding. It’s worth checking out.
-Sixbears
I remember about a decade ago (gosh I'm getting OLD) visiting Montpelier VT doing the tourist thing. The farmers market next to that creek was nice. Saw the local museum that was showing a photo exhibit of the floods of the area over the previous century.
ReplyDeleteMy souvenir photo I bought to support the museum looks a lot like the weather channel yesterday.
Date I'm unsure but horse drawn carts and a single model T Ford was in the picture.
The whole downtown has been seriously damaged. It's a shame as it was an interesting place to visit.
DeleteIt is a shame, but from easily researched history it's happened several times to the Same OLD Buildings that keep being rebuilt and wash and rinse again and again.
ReplyDeleteSome of those buildings building records and old style glass plate photos (HELLO Civil War era) show them flooded by the "Flood of (inset date here) many times.
It's called weather.
You'd think, and this is just me now, that eventually rebuilding outside the flood plain might be an idea?
ReplyDeleteWell, that would seem a good idea (tm). But mankind has proven quite stubborn about living right near the water. Plenty of old-world history about that, centuries worth.
ReplyDeleteThat and roads once established seem to keep being rebuilt so those old building sites are *still* prime business-government sites.
I was in VT after Irine helping some friends. Amazed at how damaged so many roads were. Visited a few years later, newly repaired road still exactly where they were destroyed, but then again between frost heaves and such all roads in NE are in constant repair, eh?
I used to go down to Florida to help after hurricanes in the Military. I was amazed how many folks I saw hurricane after hurricane building-rebuilding an even BIGGER House where the last one was destroyed.
They had INSURANCE so...
I was talking with the Long Trail manager about his nice new brewery-pub (back when that was a new thought) right in the flood plain of a known flooding crick in VT. His reply was the beauty of the creek keeps visitors coming in and was quite profitable. I had to agree the beauty of that creek was my pleasure while testing a flight of beers.
And he said "We have INSURANCE" for the flooding issue.
Personally, if the nearby creek rose high enough to get to my home it's a Noah's Ark situation as I'm on the side of a mountain. Several towns nearby would be gone.
My property is on the water, but not right on the water. It's at least 100 feet elevation above the water. The insurance industry is in serious trouble right now -especially in Florida. One of my friends is high up the insurance food train and keeps me informed on what's going on.
DeleteThe insurance industry like all big businesses find it cheaper to buy a few Senators to pass little add ons to bills to keep them in the black using our Tax dollars (Actually MOAR DEBT).
DeleteThey make public scuffles about losing money and not being able to insure this or that but the smoke-filled room deals keep it afloat.
Like the flood insurance for Long Trail Brewery, it's just the cost of business.
Bit our children and grandchildren will be enslaved by that debt as the Gov.com and Big Banks are symbionts and never go without..
Just one day later and Montpelier is starting to look more and more like its old self again. Most, if not all, of those businesses you like will be back before you know it. Water is powerful, but people are resilient.
ReplyDeleteVermont has a strong sense of community and they pull together quickly.
DeleteJust like Florida after a hurricane, like Alabama and so on after severe storms.
ReplyDeleteIt's an American thing. :-)
It gives me hope.
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