BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Farm fields in Burlington’s Intervale are once again underwater. Farmers and volunteers Thursday morning raced against rising waters from the Winooski River to salvage some of their crops in what has become an all too familiar sight.
It was a race against the river Thursday morning.
“I think we have very little time,” said Emily Moore, one of those who responded to the Intervale’s fields.
After a long night and inches of rain, the Winooski River overflowed onto the Intervales trails and fields as farmers watched another season of crops going to waste.
“I feel powerless, watching what has been predicted to happen play out in front of us, and it’s only going to get worse,” said Rebecca Roman, a volunteer.
Volunteers raced to harvest potatoes, onions, and other crops and a tractor operator attempted to dig a swale to temporarily block the floodwaters.
Sylvie Vidrine was among the volunteers dismayed wondering how a farming future can coincide with climate change. “It makes you realize this may be an annual event. Many farmers are going to have to relocate their fields, and that’s not easy to do,” she said.
By about 12:30 p.m., the unrelenting river had breached the fields, forcing a retreat.
“Your mind is kind of blown, because it doesn’t seem possible that this could happen again, and yet we keep saying that,” said the Intervale Center’s Kath Montstream.
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The center’s Mandy Fischer says she feels angry the state’s plans for climate adaptation and resiliency don’t seem to be having an impact. “Making sure everybody has the resources that they need to withstand chaotic weather… right now, we’re nowhere near that.”
Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts says it’s too early to know if farmers will receive any reimbursement, but urged them to document their losses.