Vermont has faced record-breaking rainfall in July. On July 10, the National Weather Service in Burlington reported 5.28 inches of rain for the day—slightly over the record amount Tropical Storm Irene dropped in 2011. Rainfall continued for 48 hours straight, then throughout the week all over the state, causing rivers to overflow and damaging local properties.
Agriculture has been hit especially hard. Jasper Hill, the cheese producer in Hardwick, Vermont, reports struggling to fulfill production orders as roadways have been washed out by the rain. Because of the lack of available transportation, much milk had to be dumped and cheese could not be made. Farmers are working to secure the safety of their outdoor livestock by getting feed and supplies to them while they are bunked safely at indoor facilities.
You can support the area’s relief efforts by donating to the Farmer’s Emergency Fund.
In Massachusetts, Governor Moira Healey helped establish a private relief fund to quickly disburse aid to farmers in the central and western parts of the state, where flooding has destroyed crops or rendered them unsafe for harvest. The United Way of Central Massachusetts is administering the fund.
Based in Los Angeles, California, Alissa Bica is the Associate Editor and Spirits Critic at Wine & Spirits. She is also a sommelier at 71 Above and co-runs the home wine tasting company, Côte Brune and Blonde. In any rare moments of free time, she writes about obscure grape varieties in the blog Off the Beaten Wine Path.
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