August 28-29, 2011

Stowe Mountain Rescue put on alert standby status at our station by Vermont Emergency Management in anticipation of Hurricane Irene.

Per a previousy established Memorandum of Understanding with the Vermont Dept. of Public Safety (Emergency Management) the team was activated for response to requests for water rescue assistance as Hurricane Irene entered Vermont. At 1426 - VT EOC deployed the tea to Warren, Vermont to a report of a family of 4 trapped in a car in rising water.
Due to multiple road washouts encounted in the area, access to the subjects was very difficult and time consuming. Subsequent phone calls confirmed that the subjects were safe in their car, but they had young children and had run out of gas to keep them warm. After multiple shallow water crossing attempts, original access plan aborted, and access was eventually gained via Route 100. A team of 2 scouted access, and as water levels withdrew we ultimately gained access with an ATV.
Evacuation successfully completed ~2000, and the family was delivered to the Warren FD.
By this time the towns of Warren and Waitsfield had NO vehicle access, all roads were either under water or washed out, and the team spent the night returning to Stowe the following day.

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