When the floods surged, a focus on readiness helped Vermont
At 10 p.m. Monday, Susan Brown watched the rushing water of the West River as it carved through the mountain town of Londonderry, Vermont, just yards from Jelley’s Deli Convenience Store, her mother’s market. Despite storm warnings, the river looked low so she headed home for bed. But by 2:30 a.m., the police scanner was going off. Water was rising. Roads were closing.
“I called my mom and said I’m heading up to the store to start packing things up,” says Ms. Brown. Even though by 3 a.m. she was lifting items off the floor to countertops, it wasn’t enough. The next morning, Jelley’s Deli was under 3 feet of water. This had happened before. During Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, the store sustained $250,000 in damages. But this time, the water was 6 to 8 inches higher.
As the water receded Tuesday, the town residents started showing up at the mud-caked, water-scoured store – dozens of them – hauling out damaged goods, emptying freezers, and offering hugs, home-baked cookies, and bottled water. Jelley’s
