BERLIN — As the Dog River spread out over Route 12 on Monday afternoon, police and firefighters in this town were going door to door at Weston’s, a manufactured home community that suffered extensive damage from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.
“We are strongly encouraging people to evacuate now, while it is still easily available to do so,” said Janet Richardson, a volunteer firefighter with the Berlin Fire Department, who was watching with concern as the Dog River rose.
“The ground is already saturated, so it’s just rising very quickly,” Richardson said.
Bill French had not figured out yet whether his mother would evacuate. He had come to her home to try to persuade her, he said, adding that she had to be evacuated during Irene.
A few homes away, Amy Gagne, taking shelter under an umbrella, said she was not too concerned because during Irene the flood waters never reached her residence.
Fred Churchill was not moving, either — at least not yet. He, too, experienced the Irene flooding.
“I watched it coming up the road like it was high tide,” he said. “When it got up about a foot on the lawn I said, ‘Yeah, it’s probably time to go.’”
His home had 18 inches of water during Irene.
The flooding Monday was still far from his home but getting closer, he acknowledged.
Vermont’s manufactured-home communities were among the hardest hit by Irene. Researchers at the University of Vermont have documented that manufactured-home communities are more vulnerable to flooding.
Nicole Daniels, who lives at RMC, another nearby manufactured-home community in Berlin, said residents have also been advised to leave.
Even as she watched the Winooski River flood a field across the street, Daniels said she had decided to stay.
“I don’t really know where to go, and I’ve got the cats,” Daniels said.
During Irene, she saw two feet of water in the yard, she said, but the water never came into the house. Since Irene, she has bought a new house on a new foundation, which means she is a little higher up than during Irene.
“I’m still nervous,” she said. “It’s a hard call. I don’t really know the right answer. I don’t know if this is the right call or not.”
