As many of you know, I live in Vermont, and our area (Montpelier) was heavily affected by flooding after a recent storm. I offer this email as an update, and as a declaration of gratitude.
I am so fortunate, in the following ways, and in no particular order
-our 173 year old house weathered yet another storm
-our basement flooded, but we have a small generator and were able to pump it out, run our fridge and charge our phones
-we had cell service and were able to stay in touch with friends, family and news reports
-we are stranded, and the roads around us all washed out- but there is a narrow, tires-width path through one of the washed out areas, and on the other side of that is my husband’s car. He couldn’t bring it through during the storm, which means it’s safely on the “dry” side and he was able to loan it to a neighbor so they could bring their visiting parents to the airport.
-we have amazing, supportive neighbors. They offered kayaks and ropes to bring my husband and housemate home during the storm. Someone up the road used planks and an extension cord to rescue a woman and her dog from their stuck vehicle. Those with more powerful generators have offered showers, water jug refills and phone charging. Neighbors with ATV’s have been traveling up and down the road to fill up gas cans, deliver extra generators, and shuttle people to and fro. An impromptu neighborhood BBQ last night took advantage of the nice weather to cook food that sat for 24 hours in fridges without electricity and needed to be cooked. The neighborhood banded together to help in any way they could
-Our power company sent crew out in ATV’s to fix the -inaccessible by car or truck- power lines and were able to repair and restore our power.
Our road is still a mess. My running route around the pond is in shambles. What was once the longest, steepest hill on the route, is now a raging river, complete with waterfalls. And the damage around here pales in comparison to the homes and businesses just down the hill in Barre, Montpelier and elsewhere in Vermont. The clean up will take days, months- even years. But today, the sun is shining. The water is receding and evaporating. We’re alive and we’re safe.
Thank you so much to everyone who reached out, who sent donations, or purchased jewelry as a show of support. We’re really ok, but elsewhere in the state is a different matter.
I will be donating a portion of my sales to the Vermont Disaster Recovery Fund, and there are many other organizations that will be supporting region and the state, including the Green Mountain United Way and CERF+. Anything you purchase from my store in the next few weeks (and I'll be adding new work just to support this effort) will have a portion donated.
Thanks again for everyone who reached out with words of encouragement, offers of assistance and virtual hugs. It means the world to me.
In gratitude
erin
