Red Crossers Provide Help and Hope During Vermont's Historic Flooding

 By Dan Dowling, Regional Communications Manager

“We bought this house in 1959. This is the first time I’ve seen the river come out of its banks.”

Maudean Niell and her husband Lewis have been through a lot over the course of their 40-year marriage. They are taking the historic flooding in their hometown of Montpelier, Vermont in stride. Between July 9th and 10th, five to eight inches of rain fell, more than the region would typically see in an entire summer.

“It was about four o’clock when I saw the river come up by the dumpster,” said Maudean. “By bedtime it was all the way around the house. When we got up yesterday morning, it was running in the road like a river.”

The heavy rain caused the Winooski River to rise quickly, reaching historic levels by the following day. Entire neighborhoods, including the downtown area, were completely flooded, leaving nearly three feet of water in the first floor of dozens of homes and businesses.

“We stayed here. We slept in the bed,” said Maudean. 

The Niells were fortunate that the flooding in their home extended only to the basement, but for the couple, both in their 90s, several feet of water below their living space was still a major disruption.

“The water level came right up to the front step. Just an inch more and it would have been coming in the house. It was that close,” Lewis said. 

He shared that at the peak of the flooding, the water was up to his chest in the basement.

As the flood waters subsided, the Red Cross dispatched emergency response vehicles (ERV) to provide food, water, and other supplies to affected residents across Vermont. When the mobile feeding and supply vehicles arrived on Franklin Street, neighbors told Red Cross volunteers that the Neills might appreciate a visit. Red Cross Executive Director Sophie Piconi knocked on their door with bags of sandwiches and snacks, and was welcomed inside. Lewis Neill, a retired electrician, was in the basement working on the boiler which had taken on water from the flooding. According to Maudean, he had been up to his elbows in oil earlier in the day, cleaning up from the high water in the basement.

The Niells expressed gratitude for the support of the Red Cross, as well as other friends and family members who assisted them during the disaster.

Hundreds of Vermont families suffered significant property damage due to the floods. You can help people affected by disasters like flooding and countless other crises by making a donation to support Red Cross Disaster Relief.

A $20 donation provides breakfast, lunch and dinner for a disaster survivor. During times of disaster, these prepared meals are served by Red Cross workers at shelters or Red Cross emergency response vehicles driving through neighborhoods. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS to make a donation.