The early stage of the July 2023 flood in downtown Montpelier. Photo by John Lazenby
Recovery efforts in downtown Montpelier began before the floodwaters had fully receded, when a thick layer of slippery mud still covered the streets and sidewalks. The City of Montpelier and Montpelier Alive have been coordinating volunteers, food, water and supplies from makeshift headquarters under tents in the open space between Shaw’s Supermarket and The Drawing Board on Main Street. John Lazenby has documented the recovery effort in the photos below.
See John Lazenby’s website for more flood photos.
North Branch Cafe owner Lauren Parker hugs former employee Jamie Carroll during cleanup efforts at the cafe on State Street in Montpelier. The cafe’s main space was undamaged although it took a heroic effort by staff to haul supplies out of the basement, which was flooded and full of mud. The cafe was open Friday and handing out food for free or donation. Lauren Andrews stands amid the muddy mess of her business, AroMed Essentials on Main Street during cleanup operations on Wednesday, July 12. AroMed was hit hard, although she and workers were able to remove all of the stock from Capital Cannabis, her adjoining shop, before the flooding.
Fred Bashara and the marquee of his family’s Capitol Theater on State Street, which once again had to be used for something other than film titles.
