Cleaning up after Irene

On August 28th, the remnants of hurricane Irene brought more than 7" of rainfall to the Black River valley, causing mountain streams to swell and rush. The enormous volume of water in these tributaries added to the already-high Black River, and the domino effect began to take place...as the rushing water soaked and eroded soil, trees were washed into the river. Roads were gouged, bridges damaged or even swept away. Homes and businesses have been damaged, and the extent is still being assessed. Many people in towns along the Black River were marooned: Cavendish, Ludlow and Reading, to name a few. Springfield wasn't hit too hard, but here is a glimpse of some of the devastation. How can you help? While the American Red Cross is poised to assist and town emergency teams are doing their best, the Black River Action Team is gearing up to tackle the after-math once the triage is handled. The 12th Annual RiverSweep is ON -- join us on Saturday, Sept. 10th between 8 am and noon to roll up your sleeves and lend a hand. Once we've coordinated with town managers and emergency departments, we'll collect debris and trash from areas deemed safe to traverse, and we'll map and photograph locations that might need future or professional help. In the meantime, there are places you can visit in person or online to find out how you can help NOW: LUDLOW Black River Good Neighbor Service, 37B Main St, Ludlow (228-3663) ~ assistance for folks in need of food or clothing (serves Ludlow, Cavendish, Proctorsville, Belmont, Plymouth and Mt Holly). CAVENDISH The Cavendish Town Elementary School has food and is serving lunch from 12 noon till 2 p.m., dinner starting at 5:30 and snacks throughout the day. Breakfast will be served starting at 7 a.m. If only one family member can make it to the school, he or she will be sent home with sufficient food for the family. READING Still gathering information on this, but it sounds like the power is back on for most folks as of this evening (8/29), which is an important step. PLYMOUTH Check in at the town hall for information and possibly some assistance.[caption id="attachment_379" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Comtu Falls in Springfield VT on 8/29/11"][/caption]