Plainfield, Vermont - May 27, 2011
So much water with no place to go. Severe thunderstorms started it all overnight.
"When I went home everything was OK. It wasn't when I woke up," Marshfield Road Commissioner Danny Tetrault said.
The headwaters of the Winooski begin in Cabot Village and that's where the damage trail begins. Those who live and make their living in the village quickly learned Thursday night's downpours were trouble. Residents were dragged out of bed in the midst of the flash flooding.
"Me and my buddies got everybody up," said David Hyatt of Cabot. "It was pretty bad."
When the sun came up there was damage everywhere; thousands of dollars worth. The garage, the hardware store and a grocery store all sustained damage. Volunteers sprang into action cleaning up the mess, lending their heavy equipment to their neighbors.
Downriver-- the same story. In Marshfield the water had no place to go, creating washouts on numerous back roads, near the town garage-- destruction the town crew will be working for weeks on repairs.
"We are going to get the roads safe and passable. Lot of roads are passable but not safe," Tetrault said.
In Plainfield, evidence of wind too. A tree down in a matter of seconds landing on a power line. In the village the Brook Road took it hard.
Not since the 1980s had a flash flood done so much destruction.
"Calls of cars in gullies and ditches. People stranded in their houses and could not get out," Plainfield Fire Chief Patrick Martin said.
The fire department went door to door to make sure everyone got out of their homes safely. They did.
"We had one family that was all asleep, parents and kids," said Gary Graves of the Plainfield Fire Department. "We had to wake them up and get them out of the house from one truck to another."
Route 2 also was underwater. It was closed for a good portion of the day in low-lying spots that snuggle the Winooski. A close call for some who were able to ditch their car in time.
And new roads also took it hard. At the intersection of Routes 2 and 14, a road project scheduled to be completed on Tuesday was damaged, and so was a business nearby. The water took aim at a car dealership. Most of the cars were moved to a safer spot. Others were left behind, hanging on for dear life.
"It's about 8 o'clock last night. It was rushing like a river, coming down like a river," said Mark Bradley of Buy Right Auto Sales.
Most of these small towns only have limited budgets and they just don't have the workers to help with all the work. So many volunteers were at work Friday, lending a hand either by loaning heavy equipment or grabbing a shovel and just pitching in. But it will take weeks to repair the damage to some of the back roads.
Anson Tebbetts - WCAX News
