Vermont
is a state I love... I love Vermont because of her hills and valleys,
her scenery and invigorating climate, but most of all, I love her
because of her indomitable people. They are a race of pioneers who
almost impoverished themselves for love of others. If ever the spirit of
liberty should vanish from the rest of the Union, it could be restored
by the generous share held by the people in this brave little State of
Vermont." -- Calvin Coolidge, after the floods of 1927 - shamelessly
borrowed from Sherry Russell's facebook post (no relation, but a friend from Otter Valley Union High School in Brandon Vt)
I found this post on Sherry Russell's Facebook just now. Occasionally I find a post on Facebook that just HAS to become my quote of the day, which this one now is.
I have been watching videos and seeing pictures of the flooding in Vermont for a week now. We spent Hurricane Irene in South Hero Vermont, where there was a lot of wind and rain. There was not the damage at our house, that we saw when we drove south on Monday morning from our house in VT.
The Richmond exit was closed and the Park and Ride there had lots of cars under water. The West Lebanon NH exit, where we usually stop was also closed. It was not until I got home Monday morning, and saw some of the devastation in the pictures, including my hometown, Brandon, that I realized the severity of Hurricane Irene and it's impact on my home state.
Vermont is not NYC, so there was not the media blitz prior to Irene. The impact of the water was probably not predictable prior to the hurricane.
I read an article about the volunteer efforts in VT to get people food and clothing and I ordered a t-shirt from this company. It was not until I saw this post on Facebook, though that I really identified as a Vermonter. There is a history of strong Vermonters in my family, and at a time like this, I wish I could do something more than buy a t-shirt. Maybe I could go up and volunteer . . . an extra pair of hands would be helpful.
