Two days after New England and the Mid-Atlantic were inundated with severe rainfall that left parts of Vermont and other areas flooded, booksellers in the region are starting to recover. Numerous stores were closed yesterday and are now reopening; others are dealing with the aftermath of floods. The worst flooding took place around Montpelier, Barre, and Londonderry, Vt., but stretched throughout the region, including in Falls Village and Canaan, Conn.; between Oswego and Syracuse, N.Y., and in the southern Hudson Valley; and in parts of eastern and central Pennsylvania.
President Biden has declared a state of emergency in Vermont. Montpelier, home to Bear Pond Books, saw much of the city under several inches of water from the overflow of the Winooski River. After the water receded yesterday, the store posted several photos on Facebook showing waterlogged books and damaged floors. "There’s a lot of clean up to be done, but we will rally!" the store wrote.
Ten miles down the road, at Next Chapter Bookstore in Barre, the mops were already out, with the store posting that it already had a "FEMA counselor assigned." Other stores in the area, such as Phoenix Books, which has stores in Essex Junction and downtown Burlington, reported that employees were affected by flooding. Others, such as Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne, appear to have been unaffected.
Flooding caused many roads throughout Vermont to close, which in turn forced several stores to temporarily close, including the Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick, Blair Books & More in Chester, and the Book Nook in Ludlow. Among those that remained open was Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, which offered to give residents affected by the flood a place to use the internet and recharge devices. "We're here for you. Stay safe, folks!" the store wrote online.
Remarkably, the Vermont state police report no fatalities from the flooding.
