The Bordertown Flood series tells the stories of Central Vermonters experiencing the 2023 flood disaster.
This episode feature Katie Trautz, the Executive Director of Montpelier Alive.
Katie describes that Montpelier is not set-up as a resilient town in terms of systems, however, the community is extremely song. And that community resilience is most important. Not every place has a community that is this strong.
Katie says, "I really think that organizations like Montpelier Alive are there to support the downtown and support the city, no matter what the event is that is happening. A lot of downtown organization across the country do step in during these disasters. This is the true meaning of revitalization work".
If you would like to donate to Montpelier Alive, please visit their website.
If you want to donate the flood recover effort in central Vermont, please visit the Montpelier Strong Recovery Fund website
Music for this Podcast by From Good Homes
Bordertown is hosted by Vic Guadagno and recorded in Montpelier, Vermont – located in the Upper-Winooski Watershed. Our goal is to serve as an instrument for relationship building and communication, and to encourage the conversation around resiliency, equity and justice. Our intention is to celebrate life and community - and to help create conditions for all life to thrive.
On July 11th A State of Disaster was declared for all 14 counties of the state of Vermont after extensive rain in two days triggered the worst flooding since Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. The National Weather Service reported unofficial rainfall observations for a 38-hour period with 6.82 inches at the Montpelier airport, 7.8 inches in Barre and up to 8.65 inches in Andover.
The Winooski River at Montpelier, capital city of Vermont - jumped by over 14 feet in the space of 20 hours. The Winooski finally crested at 21.25 feet, well above Major Flood Stage of 17.5 feet.