Devastating flooding in Ludlow, Vermont destroyed the entire first floor of a Connecticut man’s lake house along Reservoir pond.
Devastating flooding in Ludlow, Vermont destroyed the entire first floor of a Connecticut man's lake house along Reservoir pond.
“I tried every route possible, there were washouts, floods everywhere.” Bob Dunn, of Avon said about his trip to Vermont Monday night as river levels rose.
He had to stop driving and spend the night in his car to avoid getting stuck in a dangerous situation.
The main route to his house was covered in rock and debris from a landslide just near the entrance to Okemo Ski Resort.
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He reached his house on foot Tuesday morning.
“The lake rose to here,” Dunn said, pointing to a water line just below the windows in the first floor. "This was the height of the water that was in my basement.”
He immediately began cleanup, ripping out carpets, and removing any and all furniture from the house.
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“We already got the carpet out of this room," he said. "And we will be taking sheetrock out from 4-feet down.”
Dunn lost docks, a water trampoline, and multiple boats. He believes they were all washed down stream.
He is expecting true recovery efforts to take months, given the timeline to dry out the parts of the house exposed to water, and the inability to get a contractor because of widespread damage across Vermont.
But as he has been working, he is seldom alone in his efforts.
“They’ve offered. I just had a neighbor here just before you came, offering anything I wanted, so everyone has been very neighborly and helpful.” Dunn said.
One of his major takeaways so far from this experience is Vermonters' resiliency.
“That’s what I’ve seen, I’ve seen everyone just diving in -- taking care of business.”
