Richmond evacuates homes, closes town offices

BY AUDITI GUHA VTDigger

As the Winooski River invaded downtown Richmond, homes were evacuated and town offices were closed.

“The water was rising fairly rapidly,” said Town Manager Josh Arneson on Tuesday. “We just wanted to be cautious and keep staff and people away from those buildings.”

Residents walked by during the day to survey the flooded Bridge Street, which closed Monday evening when the Winooski River engulfed the banks of Volunteers Green by the bridge.

Some homes along Bridge Street remained flooded Tuesday afternoon, and water was being pumped out of a window in the Town Hall basement. The post office, behind the hall, was also closed, and the parking lot inundated with water.

At a nearby house, George Gifford waited in a green canoe to give Julie Eschholz a ride to dry ground around 2:30 p.m.

The water was within inches of the hatchway but the basement was still dry, said Bill Eschholtz, who was waiting for his wife across a submerged backyard. “It was a little bit worse during Irene,” he said.

Julie Eschholz said she grew up in the house, and her elderly parents still live there. They were evacuated by Richmond Rescue and the fire department early Tuesday. “They were incredible in the pouring rain,” she said, referring to the rescue crew.

After disembarking from the canoe by the red brick Town Hall, Es- abundance of caution,” according to Arneson. “We’re going to be testing as soon as we can to see where we’re at and hopefully take that off soon.” chholz said that during the flood of 1927, water reached the second floor windows. When Tropical Storm Irene hit, the basement flooded up to the rafters. In comparison, Eschholz concluded, this isn’t so bad.

Stone’s Throw Pizza across the river remained closed Tuesday. Owner Tyler Stratton, who was worried about the restaurant flooding the day before, said the garden, biergarten, and picnic table area outside were washed out, but water had not entered the building. His restaurants in Fairfax, Charlotte and Waterbury had also fared all right. Speaking by phone at his Waterbury restaurant, Stratton said he was feeling hopeful and firing up the oven to bake cheese pies for whoever wanted one.

Noting that the water level had receded since the morning, Gifford said he was planning to help residents pump out their basements. “It’s hard to tell what the damage is until you get the cellars pumped out,” he said.

A boil water notice went out on Tuesday morning for Richmond residents. It was posted out of “an

“There will be cleanup but I’m happy the dam held in Montpelier and hope it will continue to hold through the week,” he said.

The flooding led to multiple road closures in Richmond. But beyond the submerged parking lots and yards around Bridge Street, town officials said they do not yet know of any other major property damage or emergencies in town.

If the water level continues to drop, Arneson hopes the town offices can open this week.

He advised residents to stay in place as much as possible.