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By Lola Duffort
According to the House Speaker’s Office, five members of 150 House of Representatives suffered damages to their houses, farms or businesses.
A hearing off-session was held by lawmakers on Tuesday to evaluate the damages caused to Vermont’s housing by the July floods. As is common for these types of field trips, visitors were led from one property with a red tag to another within Granite City’s severely damaged north end.
Rep. Peter Anthony (D-Barre City) could have been both the guide and subject of the tour. His Statehouse colleagues walked through his neighborhood, and his home that he and wife bought in late 1970s was uninhabitable.
In response to the summer storms, more than 4,700 Vermonters applied for federal aid. Floodwaters did not reach the Statehouse, despite destroying much of downtown. However, a handful of lawmakers will return to the Golden Dome next January and experience the impact of this flood.
Five House Members have reported damage to their farms, homes or businesses. Anthony and Rep. Kelly Pajala I-Londonderry were likely the worst affected as they have both been forced to leave their homes. The upper chamber, according to the office of the Senate Pro Tempore has not been affected significantly.
Anthony Kincheloe and Marshakincheloe’s home in Scampini Square, which borders the Stevens Branch Winooski River, is no stranger to flooding. In fact, the property that borders the Stevens Branch has flooded at least five times in the last 40 years, including twice this year. FEMA reimbursed the costs of moving the circuit breaker up to the 1st floor after Tropical Storm Irene. Two sump pumps were running in the basement.
Anthony moved his vehicle to a higher place on Monday morning and hoped for best. He said, “We were ready to ride out the storm.”
He believed that the water was already at the second step of the house by 3 pm, and the pumps he had were not up to the task. His wife and he packed what they could, and fled to higher ground. They took refuge in the house of Tommy Walz who served with Anthony at Montpelier. The flood waters were so high that it took until Wednesday to inspect the damages.
The yard and basement were previously flooded. This time, the water rose to the first floor of the house and rendered it uninhabitable. Anthony lived with Walz in the city for several weeks before he found an apartment.
He and Kincheloe only moved in last week, but said he’s not sure about the long-term. FEMA moved his electrical system for him during Irene. However, he did not get flood insurance afterward because the premiums are too expensive. Therefore, he is no longer eligible to receive federal assistance. He is also unsure about whether rebuilding would be a good idea, given the increasing risks.
He may be interested in the state’s program to buy out companies. He and his wife have always been able to recover from previous floods including Irene.
He said, “That area is much more risky than it used to be 13 years ago.”
Vermonters who want to rebuild their homes where the floodwaters came face one of the toughest housing markets in recent memory.
Pajala’s first-floor South Londonderry apartment was totally inundated. She knows what it is like to have the hot Vermont market on your back. After her landlord sold her condo, which she shared with her sons for a few months, Pajala and her family moved to a tent. They couch-surfed in rented apartments until finding their present apartment.
Pajala currently stays at a friend’s house while she is away on vacation. Her landlord should finish the repairs soon. She is well aware of her risks and has purchased expensive flood insurance, but she doesn’t see any other options.
She explained that she was considering returning to the apartment but with an understanding that it would not be the best option for long term. Because it is still along the river, and will probably flood again.
Pajala says she thinks about what she will have to do when she visits Montpelier often. Some municipalities in the past few years have encouraged more dense, affordable development downtown, usually in floodplains. Others keep high-elevation land undeveloped, or carve it into large, expensive lots. She sympathizes, but believes that Vermont should focus on building affordable housing away from danger.
She said, “As a state I hope that we will look to see where some of the development can be moved. This is an intimidating thought in many places.”
Anthony asked Vermont if it would reconsider its local control mantra and take a more broader perspective on the future of Vermont.
“The people who live along the rivers, including many older settlements such as Springfield, Ludlow and Bellows Falls — Brattleboro, Barre or Montpelier — are the ones that bear the brunt from decisions taken in higher areas.”
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