MORETOWN, Vt. (WCAX) – As Vermont communities continue to grapple with the risk and consequences of flooding, they are also navigating a complex maze of how to make homes and businesses more resilient. A Moretown couple has taken the unique approach of raising their home above the floodplain.
The Mad River placidly meanders on a recent frosty morning, but it was not so long ago that it was a raging torrent that left a path of destruction.
“It was a huge project and a huge mess,” said Howland Brown, who along with Beki Auclair, lives on a section of the river in Moretown. Their home, which was dates back to 1835, took on five feet of water during Tropical Storm Irene. History repeated itself with back-to-back devastating floods this year and last.
They considered moving. “Then we’d be passing this problem over to the next owner. Even if they were aware going in. we just couldn’t square that,” Brown said.
Instead, they decided to embark on a project to stay in Moretown and preserve their home. Using hydraulic jacks, they lifted their home, belongings, and utilities above the floodplain. The new structure is engineered to allow water to pass through it.
Raising homes is just one option that Vermonters have to make communities more flood resilient in addition to floodplain restoration and home buyouts.
They hope the project sends a message to leaders about the options on the table to fight flooding and the creativity it takes to make communities flood-resilient. “Search their souls and figure out what else is possible. Repairing and rebuilding in the same spot that’s been flooded multiple times, to me, seems like it’s not going to work, not going to solve the problem, so what can you do instead?” Auclair said.