Irene – Act II
I find it actually quite ironic, that when I initially pondered the concept of writing a blog I wondered what in the world I would ever find to write about. Well, that turned out not to be such a problem. At this point in time it has been two whole weeks since the flood of 2011. Two weeks ago I was entering the chaotic world of emergency response volunteerism, and honestly, it felt so good to be so caught up in assisting the massive town effort, that reflection on a personal level was impossible. Then things kind of slowed down and it became impossible to suppress those emotions any longer. At this point everything is kind of a jumble of sadness for those who lost so much, gratitude for our good fortune, uncertainty regarding the future, and incredible pride in and optimism about the astounding strides that have already been made in resurrecting our beautiful state. On Saturday I was able to leave Killington for the first time, hiking through the woods to circumvent the section of Route 4 towards Rutland that suffered such terrible devastation, and on Sunday I was able to drive through the worst hit parts of Route 4 to the east. I can’t even begin to describe the progress that has been made on Route 4 on either side of Killington-by week’s end both will be re-opened, albeit gravel based in some sections until paving takes place in the near future (this photo, courtesy of Sheriff Bernard’s Facebook post, shows the amazing reconstruction efforts on Route 4, which was completely gone two weeks ago). Route 100 north and south are also open, with lots of construction underway. For those of us whose livelihood is dependent upon access into our wonderful town, this is such good news. The trees are just starting to turn color, and the weather is beautiful-welcome to foliage season in Vermont and its amazingly resilient people!
Categories: Latest News
Tags: Hurricane Irene, Killington Resort, Vermont Foliage
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Take a Deep Breath Okay, so we were down, but we are definitely not out. Hurricane Irene threw everything but the kitchen sink at us (actually there have been a few of those and other very large items floating around) and the damage is heartbreaking, but I am so proud of our community and those around us for banding together to help each other through this terrible crisis. Manfred and I couldn’t be more grateful that the Snowed Inn was completely spared, and that we had our power restored relatively quickly, so we have been able to provide assistance to those who haven’t been so fortunate. Our town office staff has been working round the clock to coordinate disaster assistance with state and federal officials, and local contractors have worked tirelessly to restore (very) limited access in and out of town. As one citizen said, we don’t have to get back on our feet- we are already back on our feet and will be back stronger than ever in record time. Killington Resort has some minimal issues to correct and has stated categorically that the mountain will be ready to welcome the first signs of winter and the skiers and boarders who flock here for those first turns of the season. It is my hope that access to town will be restored quickly enough to welcome fall leaf peepers as well. We are extremely grateful to all of those Snowed Inn regulars who have contacted us with words of concern and offers of assistance. We look forward to expressing our gratitude in person very soon!
Categories: Latest News
Tags: Hurricane Irene, Killington Resort
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