It hasn’t been very long since the August 28th, the day when Irene visited our beautiful state and left behind damage and despair. Many people I have spoken to have asked where we are as far as the driving conditions, what roads are or aren’t passable. There is a wonderful interactive map that gives details as to what road conditions are, visit CrisisLanding for up to date road conditions.
Thank you to all the road crews, which have come from all over the country to help rebuild the roads. If it were not for the tremendous effort by everyone involved we would not be as far along in our road repairs as we are, yet we still have so far to go. The below video, taken by VtPierre just days after the flooding and posted to Youtube on September 1, shows just how bad Route 4 between Rutland and Killington looked.
I have to say for all the good that has happened here, with people donating and volunteering time, the bad element as also comes out in people too. More and more we are hearing about looting and various thefts, who would stoop so low as to steal from someone when they are at their lowest point. The Burlington Free Press ran a quick article about this titled: “Looting adds misery for Vermont Flood Victims” which is a sad to read.
Things are starting to move forward, thanks to a lot of hard work by very dedicated and skilled individuals. Recently train service has been restored to Amtrak’s Ethan Allen passenger train, this is per the BFP article:
“Vermont Rail Systems and New England Central Railroad did a wonderful job getting the system back up,” Transportation Secretary Brian Searles said Friday. He noted that Vermont taxpayers own more than half the rail system, “so it is a great story that the stewards of that system worked so hard to get it back to normal.”
Sarah Waterman, Matt Sisto and Katy Kelly have put together VtResponse.com, which is a blog and clearinghouse of information for people to stay connected, share information and organize various volunteer projects or availability. They have information regarding the health and safety, donations and updates for recovery centers around the state.
Things are moving again in Vermont, don’t be afraid to visit as most places are open for business. This promises to be a wonderful fall foliage season with more than leaf peeping going on. The areas that are difficult to travel are detailed in the interactive map, please come to visit Vermont as most of our roads are open and our scenic vistas still are beautiful as ever.
Hi Janet;
Thanks for the update on the storm damage. I can’t remember when such a bad storm hit so close to us here. I know areas of New York State are still trying to sort everything out too.
Glad you are well!
Dr. Rus
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The interactive map is a huge help for many that are wanting to navigate around. We are making headway, but not fast enough.