John J. Metzler

BRANDON, Vermont — It’s been a year since Tropical Storm Irene unexpectedly crashed into Vermont, causing unprecedented flooding and damage throughout much of the Green Mountain state. Yet despite Irene’s wrath across much of the Northeast, Vermont’s near singular resilience and steadfastness in the face of the storm remains an enduring lesson. This was a lesson not in what big government can do, but what small townspeople did to help themselves and their neighbors.

Initially Irene’s arrival in landlocked Vermont looked like a bad rain storm with high winds which would soon break up in the mountains. But the unrelenting rain turned small streams, brooks and rivers into crashing torrents which by the end of the day were cutting roads and isolating towns. By late in the day, mountain towns and ski resorts such as Ludlow, Killington, and Waterbury were cut off and social media such as You tube were showing pictures of small brooks being turned into what looked like high-pressure hoses blasting through villages. The scenes appeared surrealistic.

The next day we viewed some of the damage in southern Vermont; in the town of Londonderry roads were not flooded but gouged-out by relentless water. Somebody’s front porch complete with flowerpots was caught in a bridge and entangled in state road signs. Nineteenth century buildings were still standing but perched on stilts of their foundations. A stretch of the main road along a picturesque brook near Stratton Ski area was not flooded; it was gone.

Though thankfully few people were killed or injured, the toll on infrastructure was staggering; 500 miles of Stare road were damaged, 280 bridges were damaged significantly or gone, 200 miles of railroad track was damaged. In total thirteen towns were marooned. Parts of the state were without electric power.

The comeback was amazing. Of the 73,000 customers without electric, more than half were restored in 24 hours by Central Vermont Power and in a few days most of the state was back on line. Town and state road crews started what would be a procession of dump and gravel trucks which would relentlessly start filling and fixing roads and culverts one by one. National Guard helicopters ferried supplies to isolated mountain towns.

Given that Vermont is a small state with a population of only 625,000, there’s not the layer-upon-layer of public employees. Fire departments are volunteer, state and local police are few, and the whole bureaucracy of town workers and public servants are simply not many. Yet local citizens were quick to help and pitch in. A relatively small number of 7,215 families registered for FEMA assistance.

Though verdant valleys and hills mask some of the destruction, there are still the brutal cuts and gashes from nature. In picturesque Brandon, the towns seems fine but there is a strangely missing building in the center near a small river. Other streams seem oddly clean of rocks and boulders; those washed downstream. The main road through town of Jamaica still is using a temporary bridge. More than $46 million in grants and loans have been approved by the small business administration.

Yet even a year later, according to the New England Cable Network, some displaced victims in places like Jamaica are still waiting for FEMA funds! Ironically the Irene tragedy of 2011 recalled the more devastating Vermont flood of 1927 when the state was submerged by November floods killing 84 people and washing away 1280 bridges.

Back then President Calvin Coolidge, a stoic Vermonter himself, was faced with the tough decision as to whether to follow his philosophy of local responsibility or allow for a larger central government role in reconstruction. Prior to the flood of 1927, individual towns were financially responsible for bridge and road repairs. Following the flood, the state and indeed federal government played a wider role in the recovery.

Nonetheless, the locally based can-do oriented recovery effort in the 2011 flood stands as a testament to a tradition of local grassroots government. Thus despite modern Vermont electing liberal Democrats on the national and state level, the state nonetheless embraces a very decentralized and accessible local government.

There are lighter moments too. The Long Trail Brewery near Killington produces a “Goodnight Irene” ale. The state is briskly selling special-edition license plates, “I am Vermont Strong” to show solidarity and support for affected families.

President Coolidge touring the state in September 1928 made his memorable speech at Bennington Station; “I love Vermont because of her hills and valleys, her scenery and invigorating climate, but most of all because of her indomitable people.” Eighty-four years later, Irene tragically refocused his words to the contemporary era.

John J. Metzler is a U.N. correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He writes weekly for WorldTribune.com.

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