And if this tiny, bucolic state isn’t safe, far from the ocean in one of the coolest parts of the country, it’s hard to imagine a place that is.Īcademics have long had an interest in identifying “climate havens”-regions that may be less likely to suffer extreme heat, sea-level rise, and inland flooding as the global temperature continues to climb, and that may have the capacity to accommodate climate refugees. Vermont is no longer the haven many believed it to be. It was the worst flooding since Hurricane Irene, a “100-year” storm that struck only 12 years ago. Then, during the week of July 10, heavy rains flooded the state capital, Montpelier, and washed out homes and businesses across the state. By summer, smoke from Canadian wildfires choked the once-clean air. After a historically warm January, a late-May frost may have destroyed more than half of the state’s commercial apple crop. July’s flood is just the latest in a string of extreme weather events in Vermont this year. Jennifer Morrison, Vermont’s public-safety commissioner, called Lamoille County “the hardest-hit area” in the state. Entire harvests were wiped out, and major roads became impassable. Thirty people were evacuated as floodwaters from the Lamoille River swirled around Cambridge. But that was before the floods.Įarlier this month, five to 10 inches of rain fell in Morrisville, near the center of the county. In 2020, a ProPublica analysis identified Lamoille as the one county, across the entire United States, that could be most protected from the combined effects of climate change, including sea-level rise, wildfires, crop damage, and economic impact. It’s known for two ski resorts-Stowe and Smugglers’ Notch-and a winding river where locals and tourists fly-fish and canoe. Lamoille County, Vermont, is home to 26,000 people living in small towns nestled among the woods and mountains.
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