Three weeks post-flood: Waterbury’s cleaning up
July 29, 2023 | By Madeline Hughes | Correspondent The manicured lawns around Waterbury give the appearance that everything is back to normal after the Winooski River flooded into parks, yards, homes and businesses just over two weeks ago.
However, look inside and many basements tell a very different story, Tom Drake of Randall Street said. “Just because the lawns are getting mowed doesn’t mean there isn’t more work to do.”
Drake, the former Crossett Brook Middle School principal, is using his summer off to help out at the flood command center that has popped up at Waterbury’s town offices for the past two weeks. He’s working with Liz Schlegel and members of the Waterbury Select Board to coordinate volunteer efforts around town that include preventing mold in basements, disposing of trash, and helping people access assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“The process folks affected have to go through is a lot, and they need support,” Schlegel said Wednesday. Schlegel is an elected justice of the peace and chairs the town’s Board of Civil Authority. Like other local officials, she’s cut back on her regular job at the Alchemist recently to volunteer with the flood response tasks at the municipal building.
Many people, especially older folks need help filling out insurance forms, sending photos and documenting the disaster’s effects – an exhausting process that often requires a computer, printing out paperwork and a camera to take photos. Others need help de-molding furniture and basement walls.
Three volunteers – Wendy Sorrell, Wendy and Cord Hull – went around town helping multiple people Wednesday. None live in Waterbury, but the Wendys received two days off from their boss at University of Vermont Extension to help with cleanup efforts. Cord, who owns his own business, also decided to take off time to help.
They were sent to Anne Imhoff’s Parker Court home tucked in along South Main Street where they were able to help clean the recently dried furniture as she worked to find a place for it to go before rain storms resumed Thursday.
Imhoff’s basement flooded exponentially during the storm as excess water ran in and damaged the water line to her hot water heater. The damaged water line spewed even more water into her basement and the line couldn’t be cut because of other damage.
Imhoff admits that the chaos since the storm has been overwhelming, but “the town has been incredible, I can’t say enough.”
Assistance from the Small Business Administration staff hasn’t been as helpful, Imhoff said, recalling how a half-hour visit at the fire station in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 seemed to go so much smoother than the two-and-a-half hour ordeal she went through at the Armory where federal staff are stationed to help today.
After her FEMA/SBA visit she got eight emails, and “I have to go through all eight of these damn things to find out they are all the same,” she said.
The town’s volunteers have certainly been the highlight in recovery efforts, she said. “Every morning I get a call asking ‘what do you need today?’” She said.
The volunteers knew they were there to help both with physical labor and to help Imhoff ease her mind.
“Go do your thing, we’re here to help,” Cord Hull told her.
FEMA has signs in the downtown directing people to their aid center at the Waterbury Armory on Armory Drive. It’s open daily 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Photo by Gordon Miller
FEMA aid
There’s been a “steady stream” of homeowners and renters seeking federal assistance in the aftermath of the floods, said Shirley Tracey, a spokesperson for FEMA.
Across the state FEMA had connected with 3,252 people as of Wednesday night. There has been $5.66 million approved in aid statewide, Tracey said.
In Washington County, which was the hardest hit in the state, $2.67 million of aid has been approved. Information for Waterbury could not be pulled out from the national data set, however, according to Tracey.
The Armory in Waterbury is one of the two Washington County centers, along with the center in Barre. The centers will stay open as people keep coming in for help, Tracey said.
It’s important for people to know that both individuals and businesses may file claims with FEMA. The Waterbury FEMA center is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily for people to visit in person. It’s also possible to begin a claim online and by telephone. The resource document on the Waterbury town website has more information on steps to take to begin that process. People have until Sept. 12 to open a claim.
Good Neighbor Fund
Money is another urgent need as people need to replace water heaters, washers and dryers, lost wages, food, clothes and many other things, said Peter Plagge, manager of the Good Neighbor Fund and pastor of the Waterbury Congregational Church.
Walking down Randall Street Tuesday to deliver a check, Plagge noticed the juxtaposition of the manicured lawns like Drake did. Despite everything looking normal, he’s helped people buy new water heaters, pay rent and mortgages, secure temporary storage space and address a myriad of other flood-related financial need in recent days.
“If [Tropical Storm] Irene was any indication of what’s to come, the work of the Good Neighbor Fund will help people for the next several weeks, if not months,” Plagge said. “There’s a lot of different little things.”
He’s able to disperse funds quickly as area residents request help when insurance and FEMA cannot come through quickly enough. The Duxbury Community Garden got a small amount of money in recent days to help rebuild after the flood, he said.
The Good Neighbor Fund is also helping people access lodging if their homes are damaged. he said. The Old Stagecoach Inn has been very helpful housing people at discounted rates, he said.
“It’s pretty rare, but also appreciated” that the fund is so flexible in how it can assist with people’s needs, Plagge said.
Anyone who wants to donate can visit waterburycast.org or send a check to the organization. Those who need assistance, may call or text Plagge at 802-560-4667 or email wby.gnf@gmail.com.
Next on the horizon is a new fund just getting organized by Revitalizing Waterbury called the Waterbury Relief Fund. Details have yet to be worked out regarding the process for distributing funds but RW Executive Director Karen Nevin said the goal is for it to assist both individuals and business whose homes and properties were impacted by the flood. The website to accept donations went live this week. RW also is seeking volunteers to join an oversight committee to handle requests. And because Revitalizing Waterbury is a nonprofit, contributions are tax-deductible.
Volunteer coordinator Liz Schlegel hands out new work gloves. Photo by Gordon Miller
More ways to help
With money being one of the most important needs, Schlegel and Drake encouraged people to enjoy the fruits of summer for good cause, like attending Phish’s Aug. 25-26 concerts in Saratoga, New York, to support flood relief efforts in Vermont and upstate New York. Other concerts have come together quicker, like Stowe’s recovery concert last weekend.
Closer to home, shops like Stowe Street Cafe are offering promotions to help local artists make sales. Bridgeside Books on Saturday participated in a statewide push among bookstores to raise funds for Bear Pond Books and Next Chapter Bookstore in Barre, both badly damaged in the flood.
Volunteer efforts in Waterbury are evolving with an online signup still in use to coordinate various tasks and assignments. People in need of assistance should email or call the coordinators to request help. The signup lists hours when volunteer efforts will be happening and coordinated out of the municipal offices where supplies are also available. Coordinators are also directing local volunteers to other communities in Central Vermont and Lamoille County in need of help.
Much of the physical labor of taking down drywall is completed in Waterbury, but volunteer coordinators are working with other smaller towns including Wollcott, Hardwick, Middlesex and Bolton to coordinate efforts.
Some tasks involve hauling and cleaning, others are more administrative to assist with filing damage claims, another role for volunteers is just checking in on people all around town because “we have to go out there and see what’s needed to help people,” Schlegel said. Another need: help with laundry. With so many basements flooded, many people lost their washers and dryers, Schlegel noted.
Organizers are also opening up opportunities to teenagers ages 16 and up, Schlegel said. Many basement walls need vinegar treatment to prevent mold, and that is often can move along quickly with a group such as a sports team works together, listening to music and making the most of it, she said.
Anyone with a skill or idea to offer assistance should just put out a message. “There’s a lot of things folks in Waterbury need that people can do to help, and people should put it on Front Porch Forum what they are willing to do,” Schlegel suggested.
The Waterbury Public Library organized a giant card now hanging at the town offices, signed by patrons and visitors in the building wishing Waterbury well on its recovery. Click to enlarge. Photo by Gordon Miller
‘It’s the sense of community is why we stay’
Now nearly three weeks since the flood, some bright spots are emerging as things return to normal. For example, Farr’s Field on Route 2 has dried out and the Waterbury Flea Market has reopened this weekend.
“It was a big muddy mess,” John Farr said just outside the snack shack on Wednesday. Despite water coming halfway up the snack shack, the damage was minimal, he said.
Midweek, standing water still covers swaths of Farr’s Field. Photo by Gordon Miller
Elsewhere along Route 2, Waterbury some residents tapped knowledge from when Tropical Storm Irene wreaked similar damage 12 years ago to help their neighbors. Ben Hardie’s neighbors on Route 2 warned him and his family to evacuate when the water crossed their driveway. Their house sits along Farr’s Field with the river nearby. That warning helped them stay mobile and not stranded in their house.
Built after Irene, their home stood like an island in the middle of the Winooski’s water during the storm. It remained dry on the inside because they built it without a basement and elevated it higher than what was required. “It’s a good reminder that the minimum required is just that – the minimum,” Hardie said.
Despite the progress on cleanup and seemingly good supply of help available, going through such wild weather events even a decade apart has been exhausting, Drake said. “Irene had name, this is just ‘the summer flood of 2023,’” he mused, wondering how it will be remembered.
In 2011, Drake and his family were new to Randall Street. Now, he said whenever he’s wondering about staying, he’s reminded why they still are here. “It’s the sense of community is why we stay – look at how everything comes together,” he said.
A message thanks volunteers at a Rt. 2 home. Photo by Gordon Miller
For the latest information on local flood recovery resources, information, volunteer opportunities and assistance, check the town website WaterburyVt.com. Also find the latest Flood Updates posted in the News section of Waterbury Roundabout.
CORRECTION: This post was updated to correct a reference to the Small Business Administration.