Irene Puts Towns, And Volunteers, To The Test

(Host) Communities across the state are working day in and day out to recover from last month's flooding. And often, the work is being done by people who never asked for the job.

Whether its selectboard members or first-time volunteers, many have been asked to step in, and rise ‘above and beyond the call of duty.'

From Stockbridge, VPR's Lynne McCrea has this report.

(McCrea) Before Tropical Storm Irene tore through Stockbridge, Joanne Mills spent her days working at her family's Ford car dealership - the only business in this small mountain community.

(Mills) "We do not have any gas stations, no restaurant... Not a lot here, so when we're stranded here, there's no resources, really."

(McCrea) The day after the storm hit, Mills was handed the job of volunteer coordinator by her neighbors.  

(Mills) So this is our food shelf - you're gonna be amazed when you see this."

(McCrea) Though Mills says her work has been winding down, this was her two weeks ago - dealing with all sorts of needs.

(Mills) "A lot of times we take food to people to get them through and so they know we're still thinking of them."

(McCrea) On this day, Mills manages to reach out to a half dozen people in just a few hours.

(Mills) "Hi, I'm Joanne, I'm the one sending volunteers down."

(McCrea) She brings food and other supplies to a family whose property was devastated.

(Mills) "I also got you the parts for your hot water heater. Woman: Oh, thank god."

(McCrea) She listens to people's concerns - seemingly simple things, like what to do with all the trash.

(Man) Now what's happening with all the junk once it gets out?  (Mills) "We don't have answers yet - it's hard without big roads."

(McCrea) And all along the way, Mills offers help.

(Man) "If there's any way you can get a crew just to clean out the basement? (Mills) You know we can - We'll get it done! Anything else? (Man) A big steak! (Mills) Come to dinner tonight!

(McCrea) One of her many roles on this day is to work with volunteers from an out-of-town church, who are preparing food for a community supper...

(Mills) "Are you ladies all set in the kitchen?"

(McCrea) Mills says she's been touched by all the help that's poured in, including from surrounding towns - which were also hit hard by the floods. Rochester, Bethel, Pittsfield sent seemingly little things, like leftover food from one of their town dinners.

(Mills) "It seems so small - just a token, but it wasn't. It was - that's what they're doing for us, they're taking care of us, they're nurturing us and it was very reassuring to know that - we were stranded - but people on the outside, in the outside towns were also taking care of us too."

(McCrea) Mills says she thinks of this area as a valley of towns that are really ‘one community'.

(Mills) "There was a family in Bethel, for example, they lost their home. Their father is a police officer, and he called me and he said, ‘we lost our home'. And he said ‘I want my children to volunteer in Stockbridge to see what it's like, to know they're not the only ones going through hardship'. And they showed up the next day. So that's the kind of people that live in our community."

(McCrea) That evening, it appeared that half the town turned out for its community dinner.

(Mills) "You look great - cleaned up real good!"

(McCrea) In a meeting afterwards, Select Board chairman Mark Pelletier updated residents on the status of road repairs - some of which people in town have had to take on themselves.

(Pelletier) "Right from day one, we had contractors - big contractors, big machines and, they can't get here. There's no way in! So, we went around and did what we could. Thank god this community has a lot of tractors!"

(McCrea) Like so many others, Pelletier has been working practically around the clock - both as a citizen, helping to repair roads and as a select board member, keeping the town informed.

(Pelletier) "So, do you want to have a meeting once a week?" (Crowd) "Yes, that would be nice."

(McCrea) With road damage in Stockbridge some of the worst in the state, it's no surprise that frustration began to rise a few weeks after the flooding. But for the most part, people here seem to be following the advice of their town leader.

(Pelletier) "Try to keep upbeat, and if you can't see your glass as half full buy a smaller glass!"

(McCrea) Volunteer coordinator Joanne Mills, sees the evening as a huge success.

(Mills) "The Red Cross said it would happen, and it did - that our town would come together, and be stronger than before. And they're right."

(McCrea) This week - one month after the storm - Mills says the town's food shelf is winding down. She and other volunteers have been going door-to-door, and compiling a list of any needs that haven't been met.

Now, she says, the biggest concern is for people who lost their homes or are rebuilding, as they race to get resettled before winter arrives.

For VPR news, I'm Lynne McCrea.