Hidden away in the outskirts of Cavendish, Vermont lies Chaos Turnpike, a road that can hardly be called a road. Unfortunately, it has been washed out by a recent storm, leaving a portion of the town’s inhabitants isolated. This is a situation faced by many rural New Englanders at the moment. In neighboring towns such as Ludlow, Weston, and Londonderry, houses and cars have been completely submerged due to the storm. Cavendish, known for Phineas Gage’s extraordinary brain injury in 1848 and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s exile in 1977, has experienced several incidents like this before. Heavy rains in the Green Mountains flow towards the Connecticut Valley, and Cavendish happens to lie in its path.
Chaos Turnpike, named after a certain dry Vermonter wit, was created by the National Guard during the floods of 1973 to provide a new route to the stranded homesteads. It was bulldozed for this purpose. In 1973, my in-laws, who had recently moved from New York, purchased a house on a dirt road where my wife and I currently reside. My wife remembers driving her VW Beetle across the Guardsmen’s improvised wooden bridge after the deluge to cross what was usually a small brook but had turned into a raging torrent. Yesterday, that same brook had become a torrent once again, threatening to wash out the culvert, just like it did during Storm Irene in 2011.
Years ago, I attended a local amateur production in the beautiful barn of Glimmerstone, a mansion made of local stone and wooden gingerbread trim that once belonged to a mill owner. The play was a historical documentary on the 1927 Great Flood, which was of great interest to the community. These disasters were believed to be once-in-a-century events, but history has proven otherwise. Floods occurred in 1927, 1973, 2011, and now in 2023, suggesting a pattern rather than random occurrences.
Everyone in the area is well aware of this pattern. Just yesterday, the mill building on the river, a rare survivor of the post-industrial era, had to be evacuated due to rising water levels. There is no denying climate change here; the winters are warmer, and the summers are wetter and more humid. Vermont has one of the highest median ages in the US, proving that living memory provides all the evidence needed to understand the reality of these changes.
Today, utility task vehicles (UTVs) were seen racing around our roads. These vehicles, although ugly and emitting unpleasant odors, are proving to be useful in this situation. The local fire department, equipped with UTVs, chainsaws, and forestry tools, made an attempt to reopen Chaos Turnpike. The Yankee can-do spirit is admirable as local residents take matters into their own hands, showing that they don’t necessarily need assistance from the state or federal government. However, further help may be required, possibly from the National Guard or the Army Corps of Engineers.
The state of Vermont is undeniably beautiful, attracting many visitors. Just a few weeks ago, fly-fishers occupied the rest stops along Route 131, eager to catch trout. The area near the river is also known for its cheap land and trailer parks. Permanent residents typically live in homes at risk of being washed away, while second homeowners enjoy the scenic views. On Monday, the sound of rocks colliding under the powerful current of the river could be heard above the roar of millions of gallons of muddy water, creating an eerie atmosphere.
After pumping water out of my basement on Monday, I loaned my trash pump to a man who lives near the Black River. He is a military veteran who works for the sake of his grandchildren, evidenced by his T-shirt. I noticed that he wasn’t wearing any shoes and realized it was probably because he was tired of dealing with wet footwear. He used to have a beautiful vegetable garden, which has now transformed into a sandy beach. Clearly, this is not the retirement by the river he had in mind when he bought the property.
As far as I know, my little gas-powered pump is currently being passed around, helping others in need. It will be taken to the postmaster’s house next and then to an elderly neighbor of my friend, the Baptist pastor. Out of all the tools I own, which include chainsaws, axes, and scythes, this simple trash pump has become my favorite. I am grateful for its usefulness during these times when we all find ourselves living on Chaos Turnpike.
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