More Examples Of How People Need To Keep Reacting, Recovery From Climate Disasters Long After The Event

Hardwick Vermont got nearly $4 million in FEMA
money to shore up the town after two devastating floods.

Three recent new series stories here in Vermont show how the work after a climate disaster continues long after the initial crisis.  

The Town of Hardwick just got a boatload of money to shore up the town after flood damage nearly a year and a half ago. Per VTDigger:

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded more than $3.9 million to the town of Hardwick for July, 2023-related flood repairs and mitigation, the most of any municipality in the state. 

A $2.7 million chunk goes to fixing a retaining wall along Main Street in Hardwick that's adjacent to the Lamoille River. Town Manager David Upson said the retaining wall needs to be repaired and fast, or "The whole street could be washed down the river," he said. 

Another chunk of the money is going toward a Hardwick bridge that was hit twice. Flooding destroyed the bridge in July, 2023. It was rebuilt, only to be destroyed again a year later. The FEMA money is going toward engineering and architectural work to come up with a permanent, flood-resilient bridge. 

All this goes to show how expensive it is to recover from a climate-related disaster.  I'm not arguing the Hardwick money wasn't necessary. It clearly was. But $4 million for just one small Vermont town. Multiple that by the hundreds of more likely thousands of towns and cities across the United States that need help recovering from these events. 

RAISING THE HOUSE

Repeated climate disaster floods are changing what Vermont's traditional towns and villages look like, even if the changes involve structures not totally destroyed by the flooding. 

The result, at least in the Mad River Valley, is a historic old house that now frankly looks weird, but because of the repeated flooding, the owners really had no choice. 

This 19th century house in Moretown, Vermont
is being raised to keep it above future flood levels.
The home has been flooded several times in recent
years by the nearby Mad River. Photo from the
Valley Reporter. 

Per WCAX:

"Howland Brown, who along with Beki Auclair, lives on a section of the river in Moretown. Their home, which dates back to 1834, took on five feet of water during Tropical Storm Irene. History repeated itself with back-to-back devastating flood this year and last.

They considered moving. 'Then we'd be passing the problem over to the next owner. Even if they were aware going in, we just couldn't square that,' Brown said."

The house was raised up on hydraulic jacks, so now it sits atop a tall concrete structure that is designed to allow water to pass through it. 

As WCAX points out, we're seeing more and more of this type of construction, or  home buyouts in which the federal government buys homes in flood prone areas, demolishes them and leaves the land undeveloped as part of a flood plain. 

Frankly, the house does look a little odd now, a traditional, antique 19th century hope perched atop a monolith of modern concrete. Once the work is done, the house will be lowered on its foundation, so it will be two and a half feet lower than it is now 

But it's necessary, as we have to adapt any way we can to our changing, stormier, warmer climate. The face of the state's communities is slowly changing because of it.  

The concrete area will have room to park two cars and for storage of nonessential items. According to the Valley Reporter, the couple is paying for the work themselves. It will also mean the house will be high enough so that they won't be required to purchase flood insurance. 

SAVING THE SKI AREA

The Bolton Access Road just after the flood in July, 2024
This road to the Bolton Valley Ski Area has just been
fully restored saving the season for the resort. 

Last July, flooding wiped out large sections of the Bolton Access Road, a steep, winding mountain road connecting Route 2 in Bolton on the valley floor to the Bolton Valley Ski Area way up above that valley. 

Temporary repairs shortly after the flood created a narrow, one lane gravel road that at least connected the resort and homes along Bolton Access Road to civilization.

WPTZ now tells us that the Bolton Access Road is now completely restored, with spanking new culverts and pavement and such. That will save the season for the Bolton ski resort. 

No word on how expensive it was to fix this road, but it had to cost a pretty penny.  Let's hope it holds, as the steep mountain road is prone to damage from flash floods, which seem to be increasing in Vermont. The road was severely damaged in a 1990 flood, and has frequently suffered comparatively minor damage in several other downpours in recent years. 

Parts of Route 100 were also damaged in the July flood, and the sections that were trashed provide access to Sugarbush Resort and Mad River Glen. Repairs are complete on those roads, so people shouldn't have trouble accessing those areas for a day on the slopes.