Upper Valley communities assess damage following flooding
Published: 07-11-2023 4:23 PM |
THETFORD — After flood waters from the Ompompanoosuc River “receded significantly” on Tuesday morning, Thetford lifted its evacuation order for residents who live along Route 132.
The evacuation order was put in place around 7:45 p.m. Monday in response to rising water levels amid widespread flooding due to a storm that officials have compared to 2011’s Tropical Storm Irene. Thetford Emergency Management reported it was lifting the order around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Route 132 is still closed from Tucker Hill Road and Miller Pond Road, as town public works employees evaluate the roads before reopening them.
“Numerous other roads in town have some washouts or damage that is also being evaluated today,” according to a blog post from Thetford Emergency Management.
Thetford was among many Twin State communities digging out from the storm and assessing flood damage on Tuesday.
President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency in Vermont, according to a Tuesday morning statement from the Whitehouse. This will allow the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, known as FEMA, to provide additional resources to the state. The declaration includes all of Vermont’s 14 counties. FEMA’s William F. Roy will lead the agency’s response in the state.
In Woodstock, residents who get their water from Woodstock Aqueduct Company, a private entity, were still without water and under a boil water notice on Tuesday morning, Town Manager Eric Duffy wrote in an email.
“We don’t have a timeframe yet but (are) working closely with the company,” Duffy wrote in an email. Well water is available at Woodstock Fire Station #2, located at 463 W. Woodstock Road and bottled water is available at Woodstock Town Hall, 31 the Green.
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Chelsea residents who are on town water have also been instructed to boil their water. Town officials issued boil water ordinance Tuesday in response to flooding, according to an announcement posted to the town website.
As of Tuesday morning, all roads in Hartford had reopened. The Quechee Covered Bridge remains closed.
Area businesses were assessing the damage and sorting out timeframes for repairs.
“We hope to open the restaurant and store in a few weeks,” said Jay Benson, CEO of Simon Pearce, whose operation sits on Quechee Main Street near the raging Ottauquechee River. But reopening “the glass blowing and hydro-electric operation will be a several-months effort.”
Seven waterfront parks in Hartford remained closed Tuesday: Watson Park, Watson Dog Park, George Ratcliffe Park and Lyman Point East in White River Junction; Erwin Clifford Park in West Hartford; Kilowatt North and Kilowatt South in Wilder; and Quechee Falls Park in Quechee, according to a statement the Hartford Parks and Recreation Department posted to its Facebook page.
“Elevated flows remain high and several parks will remain closed due to field saturation and, most importantly, public safety along the park/river frontage,” department officials wrote.
In Weathersfield, Route 106 was closed at Downers Four Corners to Amsden School Road due to flooding, according to an update posted around 8 a.m. by the Vermont Agency of Transportation. Additionally, Route 14 from Hidden Glen Road in East Bethel to Waterman Road in Royalton was closed around 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Around 4 p.m. Tuesday, Lebanon officials closed Spencer Street — which runs along the Mascoma River — due to flooding, according to a notice sent out by the city. Water levels are expected to rise another three inches by midnight.
The town of Sunapee closed its docks on Sunapee Harbor “until water levels recede,” according to a statement from town officials. They advised residents to not attempt to use the structures “for any reason.”
Canaan town officials reported Tuesday morning that the highway department employees were working on repairs to the “gulf” section of South Road between Gristmill Hill and Potato roads. That stretch of road remains closed to all traffic. Town officials also asked that residents do not move any traffic cones, road barricades and signs.
“They are there for a reason and costly for the town when they have to replace them,” officials wrote in an email sent to residents.
Michael Redmond, executive director of the Upper Valley Haven, said that the White River Junction-based nonprofit organization received only one call from someone seeking assistance due to flooding. He still is concerned about people who have been camping outside because they do not have anywhere else to stay.
“We remain available for food support and our usual emergency shelter assistance,” Redmond wrote in an email. Those needing assistance can stop by the Haven at 713 Hartford Ave., call 802-295-6500 or email info@uppervalleyhaven.org. People also can call Vermont 211 to be connected with resources in their area.
People can also seek shelter at Bethel Town Hall, 134 S. Main St.; Bridgewater Grange Hall, Route 100A; and Vermont Technical College Judd Gym, 124 Admin Drive, Randolph Center, according to a list provided by Green Mountain United Way.
Upper Valley Strong, a group of nonprofit organizations that responds to emergencies in the Upper Valley, is planning to meet Tuesday at noon “to assess local needs and where we can be helpful in providing support,” Redmond added.
Among the Upper Valley nonprofit organizations offering assistance is The Hub, which serves residents of the Vermont towns of Barnard, Bridgewater, Killington, Plymouth, Pomfret, Reading and Woodstock. The Woodstock-based community group, which is part of the Woodstock Community Trust, offers financial assistance to those displaced by flooding.
Applications can be filled out at apply.thehubneighbors.org/form. The organization can be reached at 802-457-7214 and apply@thehubneighbors.org. Those who need assistance can also stop by the Ottauquechee Health Foundation office at Simmons House, 30 Pleasant St., to pick up an application.
Staff Writer Liz Sauchelli contributed to this report. She can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com.
Posted at 11:30 a.m. This will be updated.