Monday, the day after Hurricane Irene swept through my state and Vermonters were reeling and digging out from the disastrous flooding and devastation she caused, I was safely at home. I found it hard to fathom how so many towns, villages, farms and homes had been ravaged by the storm. The inconvenience of having no power, a slightly washed out, but passable, road and a wet basement at our house was trivial compared to the major losses of my fellow Vermonters.
My husband’s beat up “job site” battery powered radio urged everyone to stay away from devastated areas until they could be assessed. Feeling helpless, I brought the radio out into the garden with me. I pulled weeds and listened all day to the non-stop updates of what was happening all across the state; homes and covered bridges, crops and cattle swept away, mountain communities isolated when roads and bridges were destroyed and power and phone lines were downed, road closings and evacuations, shelter locations, people volunteering muscle and machinery and the heroic and selfless deeds of neighboring Vermonters.
I listened, gardened, and mourned for Vermont. I clipped my annual poppy seed pods and saved the seeds. I find their shape irresistible and started fooling around with them on a sheet of orangey paper. Here are a few arrangements that I came up with.
Please Help!
Vermonters will be cleaning up and suffering from this storm for some time to come. If you’re inclined – and I hope you ARE – to help out, here are a number of ways to get involved – even if you don’t live in Vermont. THANKS so much!
Text FOODNOW to 52000 to donate $10 to Vermont Foodbank. The Foodbank will turn each donation into $60 for families in need.
You can donate to The United Way’s Vermont Disaster Relief Fund online, or buy sending a donation to your local United Way. Just make sure your donation is marked for the “Vermont Disaster Relief Fund”.
You can also donate to the American Red Cross of Vermont and the New Hampshire Valley. The Red Cross set up shelters immediately after Irene hit for flooded-out families to stay in.
The Preservation Trust of Vermont is taking donations to help rebuilding and cleanup efforts for the historic buildings and bridges damaged by Irene. Make a donation on their site and be sure to note “Hurricane Relief” in the Comments section.
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