Oh, Irene, you’re a tricky one. When all our attention was diverted to your path south and east of here, you sneaked inland and gave us a whump upside the head. I mean, since when are Vermont and hurricane used in the same sentence — except of course to say, “We never get hurricanes in Vermont.”
Right. Never. Until now.
Okay, Irene was a Tropical Storm when it got here. But it sure did a number on us. Torrential rains yesterday caused catastrophic flooding. Roads were destroyed, covered bridges swept away, towns and villages flooded.
Here are a few heart breaking images.
This is Ludlow, the town nearest me. The flooding is pretty typical throughout the state:
Here’s Route 7, south of Rutland:
Here’s Route 4, near Killington:
And here’s a remembrance of the covered bridge in Quechee, which was completely destroyed:
My heart is breaking for my beautiful state.
It’s going to be a long time before anyone can travel anywhere around here. Simple questions: how will we get groceries? What about getting into town to get the mail?
And larger ones: How long will repairs take? What will this cost the state?
A lot needs to be sorted out. Right now the state is assessing the damage, seeing what needs to be done.
Thanks a lot, Irene.
