We've been pretty busy today chasing trouble spots after the storm. I've posted a couple of slide shows of the damage. Now I can take a deep breath and give you a little background about today.

I was listening to the scanner until well after midnight last night, and of course, heard the heavy rainfall and the really bad thunder storms rolling through. I'm not a fan of electrical storms. Having grown up on the pinnacle of Cabot Plain where during storms of any sort we were out there, in the open, with nothing to shelter us the elements - closer to the heavens, for better or for worse. Last night's storm made me very nervous, but I had no idea what was really happening out there until we saw it this morning.

Fred had been up and out surveying what little damage there was near our house by the time I got up. I measured 3.92 in. of rain water in my gauge, made my CoCoRaHS report and listened to the news. That's a lot for one storm here, but nearby areas got more. As we watched reports of severe damage we began to realize it wasn't just a hard thunder storm. A house on Main Street in St. Johnsbury where friends once lived was hit by lightning; roads and schools were closed - and while we felt sort of like "ambulance chasers," we knew we had to find out more about what had gone on during the night.

We headed first to the family camp near Barre Ave. Our boathouse was severely damaged and knocked off its foundation by the ice a few weeks ago and Larry Rossi's crew was supposed to meet the guy this morning who would lift it out of the water so they could begin repairs. Of course, there was way too much water on the lawn for heavy equipment to venture onto it and everything was put on hold.

From there we went to Cabot Village where we'd heard reports there had been evacuations of families along the Winooski River. There wasn't much damage along Cabot Plains Road, but as we came down Bond Hill within sight of the village, we could see there was work going on at the bridge and we couldn't pass through. After a short consultation, we figured out a way to get to the village - we went up Houston Hill Road from the S. Walden Rd. and took Churchill Hill Rd. to Bothfeld Hill Rd. and down to West Hill Pond Rd. I'm serious. It was probably four or five miles around, but such a beautiful drive, we enjoyed the ride.

All those roads are named for the families who have lived there for generations. And obviously, all are on or leading to hills. It was like being on top of the world with nothing but serene green fields, maple lined roads and views of neighboring hills and mountains. Cabot Village is surrounded by hills. That, at a time like this, is a big problem. On the hills surrounding the village, the heavy rain caused little or no damage, but as the water cascaded off those hilltops, gathering momentum and power as one after the other, small brooks and ponds overflowed and merged into a crashing torrent, it took earth, trees, rocks and anything else in it's path into the unsuspecting valley below.

On these hill farms, there would have been business as usual this morning except that news in a small town travels fast, and farmers put aside their own spring chores to take their bucket loaders to the village to help clear away the mud and debris. The tractors you saw in the slide show I posted earlier were not part of the town road crew's equipment.

We met several people we knew, and each had a new story. But we were saddened at the damage and the mess and left wondering how the town would ever recover from it. The road crew is a handful of men with a few machines. The budget is not geared for such extensive damage. Even with volunteer farmers and townspeople, and possible help from insurance and/or the federal government, it will be hard for some to recoup, especially with more rain in the forecast.

We learned that our friend, Blanche Lamore, celebrated her 99th birthday yesterday. Blanche still lives in her little house by the brook, and we marvel at her strength and abilities at such an advanced age. There was no doubt she would manage perfectly well in such a storm. She's no doubt seen much worse over the years.

Friends who live very close to the river in the village didn't realize how bad things were until morning - the electricity went out and they were blissfully unaware of the looming danger.

This isn't the first time we've had flooding - people today talked about whether this was like 1992 or 1973 or the cloudburst of 1945, but probably not as bad as 1927 . . . and they indicate things like this don't happen very often; but privately, many wonder if this is a beginning pattern of severe weather and damaging storms.

Here's a notice we received today:

WEC OFFICE DAMAGED BY FLASH FLOODING

May 27, 10:30 AM

Washington Electric Co-op is continuing to restore power to WEC members affected by the storms. Although WEC experienced numerous scattered outages overnight, the numbers were not especially severe and there are approximately 300 members without power at this time, with crews working to make repairs at these locations..

However, WEC’s office in East Montpelier was damaged due to flash flooding which affected much of East Montpelier including the new Route 2 and 14 intersection construction right outside our office. Water rushing down the hill behind the office last night overwhelmed storm drainage systems, causing up to six inched of water and also septic backup to fill the entire downstairs, as well as causing other damage in the vicinity of the building. WEC’s Operation Center, in another part of East Montpelier, was not damaged.

As a result, communications with the WEC office are presently limited. Incoming calls are being handled by Rinkers Communications, with priority given to finishing outage restoration. WEC staff at the office are focused on dispatch as well as damage assessment.. WEC members calling concerning billing and other matters will have calls returned by WEC staff as soon as possible, but response may not be immediate.

WEC expects to have temporary office quarters in place adjacent to the office building within a few days, and we will operate from there until cleanup and repairs are complete. We ask members and others contacting the Co-op to limit calls to WEC to priority matters for the next week if possible.

Contact: Avram Patt, General Manager, at “direct line” number below, or cell, 802-522-2165, or home 802-223-1014. Leve message if no answer.