As we mark the first anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene, Deborah Doyle-Schechtman is reflecting on the changes
she's seen since the flood waters roared through her village.
Commentary Series
Listen to commentaries related to Tropical Storm Irene and its aftermath.
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This week,
Commentator Tom Slayton visited Camp Plymouth State
Park, which is now back in operation,
but a year ago was ravaged by Tropical Storm Irene
One year ago, when
Tropical Storm Irene hit, the destruction wrought along Vermont's rivers was
tragic. But Lake Champlain Lakekeeper
Louis Porter of the Conservation Law Foundation says some extraordinary and
wonderful things happened as well - some of which have taken us some time to
understand.
The Rock River has been destroying homes, bridges, roads and
businesses in Williamsville and South Newfane ever since the villages
were settled. Deborah Luskin lives
on the Rock River, and she credits the river for something constructive,
as well
As Tropical Storm Irene approached last year, Jay Craven set out
from his home in the Northeast
Kingdom,
to give a talk at Marlboro
College. He experienced the full wrath of Irene
and reflects today on what it all means.
Commentator Bill mares reflects on volunteering at the Tunbridge
fair, two weeks after Irene's flood roared through towns across Vermont -
including Tunbridge.
When commentator, filmmaker and Marlboro
College teacher Jay Craven set out
for southern Vermont, in the face
of warnings for Hurricane Irene, he figured he'd emerge with some kind of
story - and he did.
In the aftermath of the storm, Commentator Tom Slayton has been giving
some thought to the spirit of Vermonters and their tireless efforts in
putting the state back together.
As the floodwaters began to recede,
commentator Stephanie Greene has found herself contemplating what it
means to have connections - both the local kind, and the virtual
kind.
As
the wrath of the flood came and went, an arc of emotion washed over
all of us, but especially those in the direct line of the flooding.
VPR's John Van Hoesen experienced first-hand the power of the flood
and has this essay.
The second round of severe flooding in Vermont this year has commentator and
former jouralist Louis Porter, now Lake Champlain Lakekeeper for the
Conservation Law Foundation, thinking about the state's past
relationship with high water - and its future.
Commentator Deborah Luskin is among those finding it hard to get
around in Post-Irene Southern Vermont. She certainly can't get to a
broadcast studio to record. So, amid the distant sounds of storm
recovery, she managed to record her impressions of the storm's aftermath
in a nearby neighbor's house.
In the midst of news reports on the hardest hit regions post-Irene,
Commentator Helen Labun Jordan is thinking of the most common flooding
experience; the loss of personal property that held sentimental, not
monetary, value.