Irene blew through Vermont just over one week ago.
Thanks to all of you who have contacted us @VermontCommons from all over, asking how we in Vermont are doing, and asking for news.
We shipped the new fall issue off to press just as Irene hit, and have been focused on Irene ever since.
I've sent many of you who have been asking to Anne Galloway's VermontDigger - she and her crew are doing a fine job of aggregating press releases, official government response documents, and original reporting there.
Our Mad River Valley, where Vermont Commons is based, got walloped by Irene.
This past week, Gaelan Brown (our VC business manager), Teresa Langston (our new VC web site developer) and me have all been immersed in "boots on the ground" relief projects here in Mad River.
When we haven't been working side by side with our neighbors to "dry out" flooded homes and businesses, we have been staffing the Hurricane Irene HQ in downtown Waitsfield, which is serving as a central point of logistical support for Valley towns from Waterbury and Duxbury up north, Moretown, Fayston, Waitsfield, and Warren in the central Valley, and the towns of Hancock and Granville down south.
We've created and/or been staffing the new Mad River Valley Community Fund Facebook page (which is collecting donations to aid flood relief victims in greater Mad River Valley), helping to drive the new MRV Irene Facebook page, and Teresa has been building a new web site to aggregate the huge amount of information that has flowed in to our HQ in the wake of Irene - it should be up and running in the next few days.
Thanks to all of you who have been supporting us with donations of supplies, money, and words of support.
Neighbors helping neighbors - that's the story for Vermont for the next little while.
Boots on the ground. Let's git 'er done.