| THE GREEN
UVM Responds to Record Flooding The UVM Spatial Analysis Lab's Unoccupied Aircraft Systems team took these drone images of the flooded towns of Montpelier (above) and Cambridge (opposite) on the mornings of July 11 and 12, respectively.
VERMONT | In the course of two days at the beginning of the second week of July, Vermont and other parts of the northeastern U.S. received more total rain than usually falls over two summer months. Coming on the heels of other recent rains that saturated much of the ground, this precipitation went where gravity directed: right into streams, creeks, and rivers. When those waterways quickly reached their capacity, floodwaters spread out across lowlying farmland, residential neighborhoods, and commercial and downtown areas of cities and towns. Many culverts were no match for the flow, and roadways and bridges across the state were washed out. Vermonters awakened in the early morning hours of July 11 to find themselves in a changed state, challenged by the effects of the second “hundred-year storm” to hit the region in the last 12 years. Many UVM faculty, staff, and students were directly impacted by the flooding, and many others came forward to help. Abra Levin ’24, a global studies and environmental studies double major, was in the middle of a summer internship with New Farms for New Americans (NFNA) in Burlington’s low-lying Intervale when it became clear that massive rainstorms
6 | UVM MAGA ZINE
were on the way. She quickly shifted from general maintenance and youth outreach to helping harvest what crops could be saved and then, post-flooding, helping the farmers clean up while also running the NFNA social media accounts, where she was able to interact with people looking for help or willing to donate time and effort to the cleanup. “It’s devastating to see the heavy burdens caused by the flooding, but thanks to so much support from individuals and external organizations, there seems to be hope rising within this community,” she said. Across the campus, led by UVM’s Division of Safety and Compliance, about 400 volunteers came forward to help throughout the state. This included teams deployed to cleanup efforts in the especially hard-hit town of Barre. UVM staff were also part of Task Force 1, the state Urban/ Swift Water Rescue Team, and others assisted the state Division of Fire Safety with inspections of buildings. On campus, a community flood response drive that was expected to fill one van with potable water and other items wound up filling three and getting those supplies out where they were most needed within three days of the flooding.
