Tom Perera.
Chairman of the Board of the Seeger Bartlett Foundation
Email: Tom@TomPerera.com
Website: http://TomPerera.com/flood
Tel: (802) 767-3265
THE FLOOD: Details and Photos
The Flood started on Wednesday morning, August 6, 2008 with extremely heavy rain that increased in intensity causing rivers to overflow their banks. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Route 125 was severely damaged and closed for over a week. Camp buildings along the river in the maintenance area of camp as well as cars and trucks were damaged and moved. The bank on the hill side of the Camp Killooleet lake dam was cut away allowing the lake to drain out and the feeder brook dam was damaged preventing water from coming in to fill the lake.
As always, the Entire focus of camp was on having the best summer ever.
Camper cabins, softball fields, Main House and Theater were not affected by
the high water. Friends helped to repair camp and hosted groups whose
overnight trips had been cancelled. Normal activities resumed. Swimming
continued in a local river and at another lake. Barterday and the All Star
Game were played out under sunny skies. Despite the loss of much of their
ammunition, the oldest campers sprung commando raids only four days after the
flood (they won).
The temporary cleanup and repairs of the affected areas kept camp running
smoothly right up to the last day. After camp engineers, construction
workers, Keith, June and alumni volunteers set about the task of cleaning up
the destroyed landscape, buildings and vehicles and repairing or rebuilding
the camp in preparation for next summer.
There is still so much to be done: the engineering and construction work on
the lake dam and intake, stabilizing the feeder brook banks, rebuilding
ceramics and visitors' bathroom, still cleaning up flood debris ... it will
take thousands of hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars to restore camp
fully.
Killooleet was created after the 1927 flood wiped out the trout fishing club
that had been on the property. We don't intend to let this flood be the end.
The following photos tell the story visually.
PICTURES TAKEN DURING THE FLOOD:
DESCRIPTION:
The flood hit with incredible intensity as this view from the office porch
shows.
All of the campers and counselors were moved to high ground in time
to avoid any injuries.
DESCRIPTION:
The flood waters quickly overflowed the high banks of the river and swept
over the camp road and into camp.
DESCRIPTION:
The flood waters and run-off from hillside springs mingled with the puddles
created near the cabins every hard rain. Fortunately the water receeded
without damaging any of the cabins or other buildings on the main part of the
campus.
DESCRIPTION:
As the waters receded, it became apparent that the main campus had escaped
serious damage.
Unfortunately, the maintenance buildings, the bridges, and the camp lake were
not so lucky.
Although many vehicles had been moved up onto the main campus
or out to the Hancock Church parking lot, 9 cars were swept downstream and
totaled by the flood waters. In addition, several counselors who thought
their cars had survived have since had difficulty keeping them running.
DESCRIPTION:
As the flood waters started to receed, early explorations down the driveway
discovered deep holes where gravel had washed away.
DESCRIPTION:
One counselor went searching for her car. When she reached the place where
she had parked it, she found that it was gone and it was later discovered out
in middle of the camp lake where it had been swept hundreds of feet down the
feeder brook.
The counselor's brand new Subaru in the empty camp lake testifies to the
power of the flood.
DESCRIPTION:
Ropes helped counselors get around camp after the flood waters began to
subside.
DESCRIPTION:
Mud was a problem until the campus gradually dried out.
The Flood as an Educational Experience !
DESCRIPTION:
Kate Seeger holds a meeting after breakfast to talk about the flood and
reassure campers that the summer will be better than ever in every way.
In true Killooleet tradition, the flood has been made into
a learning experience for everyone.
DESCRIPTION:
This is a view of the meeting looking down toward the EMPTY lake.
DESCRIPTION:
The bumper sticker on this counselor's car which was parked off the main
campus and near the river tells the whole story !
The flood was indeed Nature's Classroom for everyone at camp.
DESCRIPTION:
The bumper sticker on this counselor's car tells the whole story !
Nature's Classroom.
DESCRIPTION:
A new role for the cargo net is helping to dry out all the trunks and
suitcases:
DESCRIPTION:
The fun of swimming in a local river makes up for an empty lake:
DESCRIPTION:
Some "Overnighters" took place in local farm houses.
In one case the campers slept in a barn with a two hour old calf.
DESCRIPTION:
The last campfire took place on a beautiful moonlit night.
A hollow had been scooped out in the bottom of the lake and it filled with
enough water to allow the candle boat ceremony to take place.
DAMAGE TO THE MAINTENANCE AREAS AND THE LAKE:
DESCRIPTION:
Walking down the camp road from the office.
The building housing the maintenance shop, ceramics studio, parent's bathroom
and bicycle repair shed has been moved 65 feet over into the middle of the
camp road:
DESCRIPTION:
The original location of the maintenance shop, ceramics studio, parent's
bathroom, and bicycle repair shed is shown in the foreground.
The badly damaged ceramics studio and parent's bathroom have been demolished
and you can now see how far the entire building was moved by the flood waters:
DESCRIPTION:
A ceramics project was washed out of the ceramics studio and deposited neatly
on this tree stump:
DESCRIPTION:
Tony and Judy Seeger's Car trying to get into the Parents Bathroom:
(Attempt at humor !)
DESCRIPTION:
The bumper sticker on Tony and Judy Seeger's Car could not be more
appropriate!:
DESCRIPTION:
A Counselor's brand New Volvo swept into the woods and immersed in mud and water:
DESCRIPTION:
A Counselor's brand New Volvo swept into the woods and immersed in mud and water:
DESCRIPTION:
The Remains of Scotty's Bridge after being hit by the water and the 2008
Subaru that was swept and rolled down the feeder brook by the flood:
DESCRIPTION:
This is the view from Scotty's Bridge looking down the feeder brook
toward the lake.
The rear bumper of the 2008 Subaru that was swept down the feeder brook by
the flood waters lies on a leaning tree.
The height of the bumper from the ground gives a good idea of the hight of the
flood waters:
DESCRIPTION:
The Place by the Advanced Dock where the Dam was carved away by the water:
DESCRIPTION:
The Empty Camp Lake: Photo taken from the First Intermediate Dock.
You can see the Second Intermediate dock and the Boating dock which were swept
over to Ellie's Island by the flood waters.
DESCRIPTION:
The Empty Camp Lake:
DESCRIPTION:
The Brand New 2008 Subaru that was rolled down the feeder brook and out into
the lake by the flood:
DESCRIPTION:
Canoes and Kayaks were swept from the lakeside docks and down the river and
wrapped around trees by the flood:
DESCRIPTION:
Repairs to the lake were underway three days after the flood:
DESCRIPTION:
Two days after the flood, repairs to the camp road are well underway.
Watching the heavy equipment at work becomes a new activity at camp:
DAMAGE IN THE TOWN OF HANCOCK:
DESCRIPTION:
The Hancock Town Bridge.
A large piece of pavement has been swept along the road and onto the bridge:
DESCRIPTION:
4-wheel drive vehicles were used to check on resident's welfare
before the State Rescue Teams arrived:
DESCRIPTION:
The Colchester Vermont Technical Rescue team set up headquarters in
Hancock across from the General Store:
DESCRIPTION:
A bridge along Route 125 has been completely cut off by the waters:
Rescue Teams helped residents evacuate the area behind the damaged bridge.
DESCRIPTION:
Route 125 toward Middlebury is heavily damaged:
DESCRIPTION:
Dale and Jill White's house on Route 125 barely survived the flood:
DESCRIPTION:
Meet "Lucky" a TV Star and the most famous cow in Hancock.
Lucky has been on TV, in all the newspapers, and on CNN.
Lucky was swept 3 miles down the raging river during the height of the flood and deposited UNINJURED in a pasture behind the Hancock Town Hall !
Tom Perera
Chairman: Seeger Bartlett Scholarship Foundation Board of Trustees
P.O. Box 1, Hancock, VT 05748
Email Address:
Tom@TomPerera.com
Website: http://TomPerera.com/flood