On August 29^th, 2011 Hurricane Irene hit Vermont causing its rivers to rise to levels not seen in hundreds of years. In Irene’s wake, the swollen rivers destroyed roads, washed away bridges, homes, businesses, and greatly manipulated the landscape as well as the vegetation and ecosystems alongside them. Vermont declared a state of emergency prior to Irene's arrival, and the emergency became evident when roadways and bridges that provide access to many isolated towns were washed away. It is clear that Vermont's immediate response was to reestablish the roads and bridges to provide assistance to affected areas. But after the rivers receded, and the initial road and town repair was completed, where have resources been sent to fix? Even months later, it is still evident that the restoration is not complete. The damage from Irene is so extensive that it will take many years before projects will be complete. Our groups goal is to investigate the status of Vermont's post Irene progress, while utilizing the town of Moretown, as a local case study. Our investigation will include research in ecosystem restoration as well as civil restoration. We believe it will be interesting to determine how the state of Vermont is allocating resources to both groups, if at all. Considering the relevance of Irene our project will provide an interesting insight into the current progress of Vermont's restoration.

Flooded Plains -- Photo: Scott Gilbert