In Northfield, Reviewing Response To Irene

AP/Toby Talbot

A man looks at damage to and near a historic covered bridge in Northfield.

Two months after Tropical Storm Irene, cities and towns in and out of the flood zone continue to review and revise their disaster response plans.

City councils, select boards and residents are taking a hard look at how well towns responded to the storm and its aftermath.

In Northfield, floodwaters damaged Dan Guyette's home, but he tells the Select Board that the town did a pretty good job altogether. He says Northfield's emergency services were vigilant in warning the public before the flood hit their homes. The town also assisted with evacuations.

Guyette admits on the morning of August 28^th he was not too concerned "until he saw a wall of mud coming down Union Street."

Northfield town officials say they're evaluating what went right during the response, what went wrong and what could have been better. They say that will help them prepare for natural disasters in the future.

The Select Board is developing a formal review, and it is looking for public input before a final version is prepared.

You can read the Select Board minutes from Northfield and more than 50 other communities at VPR's new online local news service, Public Post.