Town crews, volunteers pitch in on familiar flood clean up work

December 22, 2023  |  By Lisa Scagliotti 

Updated Dec. 23 with new local damage estimates.

Floodwaters are frozen at Dac Rowe Park on Thursday afternoon. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti

The Waterbury Select Board held its third meeting of the week on Thursday to check in with flood response efforts by town staff and volunteers before the holiday weekend. 

“We will have a push for Friday and Saturday and then take a break for the holiday,” said organizer Liz Schlegel. “We will return next week and report back by Wednesday or Thursday on how things are going.” 

The board heard of efforts so far to assess needs, collect supplies and equipment to loan out and efforts for the coming days. 

The meeting was held in the Steele Community Room at the municipal offices which once again is doubling as the volunteer headquarters. Cleaning supplies and equipment, packaged snack foods and drinks, boxes of water are once again filling tables and stacked around the meeting space, the tables covered with lists and printouts. 

Volunteers stopped in to return power-washing equipment they had just used in a basement on Randall Street. Others were looking for assignments for Friday. 

In addition to the volunteer effort, town public works crews continue to clean up streets and assist with debris hauling and disposal. 

Public Works Director Bill Woodruff reported on cleanup by town staff and the water and wastewater plants. The wastewater treatment plant is still receiving two to three times the inflow as usual due to high river levels, but that is dropping and operations are back to treating as usual, Woodruff said. The water system was not impacted by the flood. 

Crews have been sweeping and clearing debris from streets, Woodruff said. They also are hauling trash that people in the flooded neighborhoods are putting out on curbs. The town has gotten one large trash dumpster on Randall Street for flood debris from buildings. Town staff also can collect damaged appliances if they are left out and marked to be disposed of, he noted. 

So far two vactor trucks with crews have visited Waterbury this week to siphon muck from basements, Woodruff said. Additional help may be scheduled if needed. 

Repairs to the road on Winooski Street near the bridge will be needed, he added, but it's currently usable until crews can get to it. 

Coordinators working with volunteers this week say there has been a steady stream of help, although not as many people have stepped up as in July. Volunteers are assisting with power-washing, clearing basements and checking in with local residents to see what help is needed. 

Dehumidifiers, space heaters, and other flood clean up supplies are available on loan for residents at the Municipal Offices. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti

Augie Stevens said the town has received donations of dehumidifiers and space heaters that can be loaned out. Select Board member Mike Bard said local restaurants and the Waterbury Rotary have been preparing and distributing food to local residents, volunteers doing cleanup, etc. He urges those working not to hesitate to accept the donated sandwiches and more. 

Liz Schlegel said there should be test kits available soon from the state Department of Health for homeowners with wells to test their water before resuming using them. The town also has received a supply of bottled water that residents may pick up at the Steele Room in the municipal offices.  

By Saturday morning, organizers said they are getting a good idea of the extent of the flood damage this week. Liz Schlegel said that based on canvassing by volunteers over the past several days, at least 65-70 homes and fewer than 10 businesses experienced flooding this week. She cautioned that the assessment effort is not yet complete, so those figures could increase as more people check in.

Homes affected are in the low-lying areas near the Winooski River -- Randall and Elm Streets, South Main Street, U.S. 2 west of downtown as well as Union Street and even some properties in Waterbury Center near the Thatcher Brook. 

“Water incursion raged from a couple of inches to seven or more feet. Most of the buildings were also flooded in July,” Schlegel said.

Most buildings had floodwaters in basements, although manufactured homes without basements have ground-level damage, she added. 

Anyone with flood damage is encouraged to check in with the local response team for tips on cleanup and mold remediation as well as supplies available at the town offices.

Important reminders

• State officials ask that anyone affected by flooding — both property owners and tenants — report their damage in order for an accurate statewide assessment to be made. This information is critical to the process for the federal government to issue a disaster declaration that will lead to assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Reports may be made online at Vermont211.org.

• Any property owner or resident in need of assistance can request help from the Waterbury’s volunteer crews by emailing waterburyhelp@gmail.com or leaving a message at 802-585-1152. 

• To sign up to volunteer, the current link for helping through Saturday is here. 

• The town website has an emergency response section with a document that is updated regularly with new information, new volunteer signup links.  

• Anyone wishing to make a financial donation to assist those with immediate needs can contribute to the Waterbury Area Good Neighbor Fund. 

• The long-term recovery fund established this summer will continue to be used to assist both businesses and residential property owners and tenants. Learn more about that fund organized by Revitalizing Waterbury here.

Finally, Waterbury state Rep. Theresa Wood, who chairs the House Human Services Committee, shares a website created by a legislative colleague, Rep. Daisy Berbeco of Winooski, with mental health resources that could be helpful to anyone going through the impacts of a disaster. 

“I know that the flood waters that came this week, so soon after the July flooding, made the emotional and physical stresses very real for many people. Even if you did not personally have flooding to your property or home, the impact is still there — I know it has been for me,” Wood wrote in a post on Front Porch Forum. 

Following Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, Wood for more than a year led the ReBuild Waterbury effort to assist homeowners with reconstruction from flood damage.  

Find the site online at daisyforwinooski.com/flood-recovery. The town resource document on Waterburyvt.com also has links to mental health resources.

Wood also extended her thanks to everyone assisting with the response and recovery. “Whether it's food, mucking out basements, running errands or giving a hug — community is what helps us all get through these traumas,” she said.