Volunteers in Barre spend Saturday cleaning up after flood
BARRE, Vt. (WCAX) - Dozens of volunteers spent their Saturday cleaning up flood damage in Barre.
“Seeing like a yellow or red tag on their front door, and having to be forced out of their homes because of a disaster they couldn’t control is just so unbelievably devastating,” volunteer Wesley Palmer said.
Wesley Palmer and his fellow volunteers scoop up mud from Barre basements in the north end. The same neighborhood hit hard last year, grapples with a familiar reality Saturday.
“I was mucking out a basement on Thursday morning right after the flood down on third street, and the homeowner had finished renovating her floor like two weeks ago from last year’s flood and then we’re all back there again mucking out basements,” Barre City Councilor Ted Waszazak said.
Ted Waszazak is organizing volunteers to get to homes across Barre, delivering water, PPE and hands to help clean up.
One of those homeowners receiving volunteer assistance is Lisa Edson. Edson says there was four feet of water in her basement -- she’s says the extra help is transformational.
“A huge difference, we couldn’t have done it, we would’ve been here for weeks if they hadn’t. The volunteers have been super,” Edson said.
Organizers say dozens of volunteers showed up - less than last year or expected - but it’s not too late to help.
“If you have an extra pair or extra set of hands, I highly encourage you to come out here and do what you can to support us,” Palmer said.
Homeowners, organizers and volunteers tell me that the most challenging truth to face isn’t just the flooding, but how the housing crisis in Vermont has left victims with nowhere but shelters to turn to.
“They would love to leave, they would love to live in a safer place for their family, but they cannot find anywhere else to go,” Prem Linskey of Barre Up said.
Linskey says more regulations for short term rentals and folks buying second homes should be implemented alongside long term projects to prevent further flooding.
“It makes us very nervous for the future. Is this just what happens in July in barre now? We hope not. So we’re working on flood mitigation infrastructure, projects, housing development,” Waszazak said.
Officials are urging anyone who has sustained any damage - even a couple of inches of water in your basement - to report that damage to 211, so that Vermont can receive FEMA assistance.
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