JOHNSON, Vt. (WCAX) – Community members in flood-prone Johnson gathered tonight to imagine a more resilient future for the town.
The Vermont Council on Rural Development and local volunteers held a session for community members to come together Monday night to talk about the challenges of the past two years of flooding – and brainstorm what’s next.
many brought up the stress of not having a grocery store.
Others say flooding has exaggerated the housing crisis – leaving those with homes destroyed – and there are few places to turn.
But the discussion also focused on some of the positives, such as the community coming together during the disaster.
“this is just an opportunity for an adaptable process to bring forth community voice in how to move forward during times when there’s flooding or other events that are happening within the climate, but in a way that is very economically viable and supportive to those communities that are impacted,” said one community member
The session also offered a community dinner. This is the first of three sessions for re-imagining Johnson, the next two are September 10th and October 9th.