A picturesque village in Vermont is planning to relocate to escape further catastrophe after enduring severe flooding in consecutive years.
Located about 15 minutes from Montpelier, Plainfield suffered a powerful flood on July 10, 2023, followed by another exactly a year later.
More than $1 billion worth of damage was left behind and hundreds were left homeless as a result of the intense floods.
On the anniversary of these tragic events, which claimed the lives of at least four individuals, Plainfield’s community—comprising around 1,200 residents—has devised an ambitious plan to relocate the entire village to a higher elevation in order to avoid continued flood damage.
Locals and community organizations are currently moving toward purchasing 24 acres of nearby land that was offered by Bram Towbin, Plainfield’s town clerk, and his wife Erica Costa.
The land, which is just a short walk to the lower village, would be divided into about 30 lots for those who lost their homes and had their lives uprooted by the floods.
Organizers hope to pay for the new $5 million plan, dubbed the East Village Expansion Project, with federal disaster recovery funds. It would connect the town’s sewer, water and wastewater systems to the new spot.
Locals would then purchase the parcels and build 400-square-foot cottages on them, with some of them getting assistance from affordable housing agencies to do so.
A charming village in Vermont plans to move to a new location in a bid to avoid more devastation after it was ravaged by a pair of forceful floods two years in a row
Plainfield – about 15 minutes outside of Montpelier – was rocked by an intense flood on July 10, 2023, and exactly one year later, another hit the area. (Pictured: Heartbreak Hotel after the flood last year)
So far, 50 people have expressed interest in buying and building on the 30-60 potential lots, organizers told The Boston Globe.
Arion Thiboumery, a local who owns Plainfield’s iconic Heartbreak Hotel that was also destroyed in the floods, is helping run the initiative.
‘This felt like something we could actually do to be more in control of our own destiny, rather than be a flood victim with no agency,’ Thiboumery, one of the co-chair’s, told the outlet.
In 2023, Heartbreak Hotel – a 140-year-old building known for housing deserted lovers and millworkers in affordable apartments – was left with a flooded basement.
Meanwhile, the three to nine inches of rainfall soaked the state, leaving several houses in Plainfield damaged.
Just a year later, Hurricane Beryl brought up to seven inches of rain, causing immense destruction to the area and the building.
A slew of debris soon piled up and formed a logjam, or blockage from logs, at the bridge located just upstream from Heartbreak Hotel.
A side of the bridge soon collapsed, leaving a massive wall of water to tear through a majority of the structure.
Now, on the anniversary of the tragic disasters that left at least four people dead, residents of Plainfield have come up with a daring plan to move the entire village to higher ground to prevent further devastation from horrid floods. (Pictured: Locals cleaning up after the 2024 flood)
The land, which is just a short walk to the lower village, would be divided into about 30 lots for those who lost their homes and had their lives uprooted by the floods. (Pictured: Debris laying around the village after last year’s flood)
At the time, twelve people were living in the property, but managed to escape. Unfortunately, the five cats that also dwelled there did not survive.
‘It was really a cinematic event,’ Michael Billingsley, Plainfield’s volunteer emergency management director, told the outlet.
Hope Metcalf, a resident who was living in the building that dreadful day with her two children, recalled the dramatic scenes.
After hearing a ‘big crack,’ the three of them made a run for their car to escape, she said.
To this day, she said her children, now 11 and eight-years-old, are fearful when storms roll around.
‘Every time there’s a thunderstorm or heavy rain, they get worried,’ Metcalf said.
She and her family are currently living in a rental home upstream, but that property was also hit by flood water last July.
It is currently on the list of structures the state hopes to buy with federal funding and eventually demolish due to its massive flood risk.
Following last year’s flood, 42 residents in Plainfield lost housing, Billingsley said. In 2023 and 2024, 28 homes were destroyed and currently sit on Vermont’s buyout list.
‘People who love Plainfield want to see it thrive,’ Lauren Geiger, a local, said.
‘Having this rise up out of the flood and from local residents is just a beautiful thing.’
Locals would then purchase the parcels and build 400-square-foot cottages on them, with some of them getting assistance from affordable housing agencies to do so. (Pictured: Sketch of cottage layout)
Arion Thiboumery, a local who owns Plainfield’s iconic Heartbreak Hotel (pictured) that was also destroyed in the floods, is helping run the initiative
While many are excited for what the future holds in Plainfield, some are a bit weary just how far this volunteer project could go.
‘The joke is we’re gonna just not have July 10 this year,’ Patricia Moulton, the state’s flood recovery officer, joked.
Still, Moulton worries just how long volunteers could keep this plan alive.
‘I think it’s exciting what they’re doing. Is it sustainable in the long term to have volunteers do all this work? I’m not sure,’ she stated.
For instance, Biilingsley, a 79-year-old full-time volunteer, told the outlet he is not sure how much longer he can be in the role.
‘It’s past the point of being reasonable. It’s just how much can I put up with,’ he admitted.
Riley Carson, a former select board chair, echoed these concerns and is worried about what issues might arise with the new plan.
‘My real concern is that they haven’t shown that they understand the complexity and pitfalls that come with it,’ Carson said.
‘There’s just so much rush and so much pressure to get this done.’
Metcalf has a backup plan in case the project doesn’t work in her family’s favor and their current rental gets bought.
‘I’m not gonna wait around for that. I need to find a place to live now. Right now,’ she said.
