News from Vermont Public
Vermont was supposedly safe from the worst climate risks. Then came relentless floods
Vermont has a reputation for being a place that is relatively safe from the worst impacts of climate change. But, as Vermont Public's Abigail Giles reports, the latest series of climate-fueled, flooding disasters is prompting some to wonder whether that's the case. On a single day in late July, a pretty normal-looking summer storm dropped a record 8 inches of rain over the Northeast Kingdom in just 24 hours. Rivers and Brooks swelled rapidly and jumped their banks. Homes that sat in the same place for hundreds of years were swept away. Jeff Coro is the fire chief in Lindenville. He's been a firefighter there for 34 years. And this is an event that we never had before to this degree, so we're venturing down a road that yeah, we haven't been on and it's not a good road to be over. It was the fifth time in 13 months the town saw flooding and the second time in July. And Lindenville wasn't alone. Other Vermont towns were flooded more than three times in the last year. Washington County, home to the state's capital, is tied for being the second most disaster-prone county in America. That's if you count the number of federal disaster declarations from 2011 through 2023. And this kind of heavy rainfall? It's something the Northeast is seeing more of because of human-caused climate change. Jonathan Winter is a professor at Dartmouth College who studies this. His research finds the Northeast now sees 50% more extreme precipitation than it did before 1995. As the atmosphere warms, it can hold more moisture and that means more rain. So far, it seems in New England, we're getting the same storms. They just have more fuel to work with once they get here. It's a trend Winter says will likely continue as the climate warms, but could be made much better if the world cuts greenhouse gas emissions. Still, it's come as an unpleasant surprise for some. Sean Wagner co-owns Bear Roots Farm in Williamstown and Berry, where he grows organic vegetables. Wagner used to farm on Long Island, but that ended after his fields were inundated there with salt water during superstorm sandy. He says the vegetables turned black overnight. So we decided to move up to Vermont, a landlocked place where theoretically couldn't flood. But turns out you can. After nearly a decade of drought, something else Vermont is seeing more of with climate change, a flash flood and sustained wet weather swept away about 75% of their harvest last summer. We basically came into this season on credit card debt. So we're still kind of like, you know, a week at a time trying to just stay afloat. This year, they're growing everything they can up on higher ground. We've got a big field of winter squash pumpkins in here. Sweet dumpling there. Earwing varieties. But in some places, higher ground brings its own hazards and a changing climate. Up high in the Green Mountains in Ripton, there's growing concern about landslides wiping out their mostly dirt roads. Last summer, during a torrential rainstorm, a hillside collapsed in the night, sweeping an entire home off of its foundation before the owners eyes. Landslides were not really a thing up here. Lori Cox is chair of the Ripton select board. All of that makes makes one realize that everything that you thought was solid under your feet isn't always solid. Yeah. But with entire 200 plus year old communities located in places that now flood, these are not the only changes the state will be forced to contemplate in the coming decades. Back in Williamstown, farmer John Wagner says he's grateful Vermont has water and doesn't have to contend with sea level rise. Still, he says he doesn't think of any place as safe from climate change. I mean, I think I think ultimately it is affecting everyone everywhere. Wagner says he's determined to adapt. For Vermont Public, I'm Abigail Childs in Williamstown.