Vermont village to move in bid to avoid more flood devastation

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

A charming village in Vermont plans to move to a new location in a bid to avoid more devastation after it was ravaged by a pair of forceful floods two years in a row. Plainfield - about 15 minutes outside of Montpelier - was rocked by an intense flood on July 10, 2023, and exactly one year later, another hit the area. More than $1 billion worth of damage was left behind and hundreds were left homeless as a result of the intense floods.
Organizers hope to pay for the new $5 million plan, dubbed the East Village Expansion Project, with federal disaster recovery funds. It would connect the town's sewer, water and wastewater systems to the new spot. Locals would then purchase the parcels and build 400-square-foot cottages on them, with some of them getting assistance from affordable housing agencies to do so. So far, 50 people have expressed interest in buying and building on the 30-60 potential lots, organizers told The Boston Globe.
Arion Thiboumery, a local who owns Plainfield's iconic Heartbreak Hotel (pictured) that was also destroyed in the floods, is helping run the initiative. 'This felt like something we could actually do to be more in control of our own destiny, rather than be a flood victim with no agency,' Thiboumery, one of the co-chair's, told the outlet. In 2023, Heartbreak Hotel - a 140-year-old building known for housing deserted lovers and millworkers in affordable apartments - was left with a flooded basement. Meanwhile, the three to nine inches of rainfall soaked the state, leaving several houses in Plainfield damaged.
Just a year later, Hurricane Beryl brought up to seven inches of rain, causing immense destruction to the area and the building. A slew of debris soon piled up and formed a logjam, or blockage from logs, at the bridge located just upstream from Heartbreak Hotel. A side of the bridge soon collapsed, leaving a massive wall of water to tear through a majority of the structure. At the time, twelve people were living in the property, but managed to escape. Unfortunately, the five cats that also dwelled there did not survive.
'It was really a cinematic event,' Michael Billingsley, Plainfield's volunteer emergency management director, told the outlet. Hope Metcalf, a resident who was living in the building that dreadful day with her two children, recalled the dramatic scenes. After hearing a 'big crack,' the three of them made a run for their car to escape, she said. To this day, she said her children, now 11 and eight years old, are fearful when storms roll around.
'Every time there's a thunderstorm or heavy rain, they get worried,' Metcalf said. She and her family are currently living in a rental home upstream, but that property was also hit by flood water last July. It is currently on the list of structures the state hopes to buy with federal funding and eventually demolish due to its massive flood risk. Following last year's flood, 42 residents in Plainfield lost housing, Billingsley said. In 2023 and 2024, 28 homes were destroyed and currently sit on Vermont's buyout list.
'People who love Plainfield want to see it thrive,' Lauren Geiger, a local, said. 'Having this rise up out of the flood and from local residents is just a beautiful thing.' While many are excited for what the future holds in Plainfield, some are a bit weary just how far this volunteer project could go. 'The joke is we're gonna just not have July 10 this year,' Patricia Moulton, the state's flood recovery officer, joked. Still, Moulton worries just how long volunteers could keep this plan alive.
'I think it's exciting what they're doing. Is it sustainable in the long term to have volunteers do all this work? I'm not sure,' she stated. For instance, Biilingsley, a 79-year-old full-time volunteer, told the outlet he is not sure how much longer he can be in the role. 'It's past the point of being reasonable. It's just how much can I put up with,' he admitted. Riley Carson, a former select board chair, echoed these concerns and is worried about what issues might arise with the new plan.
'My real concern is that they haven't shown that they understand the complexity and pitfalls that come with it,' Carson said. 'There's just so much rush and so much pressure to get this done.' Metcalf has a backup plan in case the project doesn't work in her family's favor and their current rental gets bought. 'I'm not gonna wait around for that. I need to find a place to live now. Right now,' she said.