Dear friends, neighbors, and worldwide community:

Please help our dear friend Patricia Anderson to save her beautiful home in St. Johnsbury, VT which was struck by a landslide caused by the flash flooding during the catastrophic rainstorms on July 30, 2024.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/31/us/vermont-floods-storms.html

In the middle of the night the entire bank behind her home collapsed in a landslide, slamming into the back wall, up to her bedroom window, which she had thankfully just closed shortly before! The two-story landslide surrounded the fuel tank which had to be disconnected, leaving her without a stove or hot water. The hydrostatic pressure from the weight of the earth against the back of the house then caused flooding through the first floor.

The ground floor of the house was gutted by the water including the laundry, bathroom, storage, garage and most importantly the guest suite that she rents out for income during her retirement. Thankfully she was able to save furnishings from too much damage, however, everything else was destroyed and needed to be taken down to the studs.

With continued rainstorms it has been non-stop effort to dig trenches, divert water, and mitigate additional flooding into the house. The entire area is in chaos, everyone is doing what they can to reopen roads, mitigate water, and help everyone who is struggling to survive this catastrophe. The recovery will be long and hard and will require help from everyone who can, however they can.

NONE OF THIS IS COVERED BY INSURANCE. The costs are overwhelming and continue to pile up. Earth moving equipment to move the landslide and divert the water, repairs to entire first floor of the house, not to mention replacing the earth along the tree line, building a giant retaining wall and installing drainage to defend against this ever happening again.

All of this comes at an immense cost and urgency as winter approaches. The estimate to date is up to $60k - $70k USD and continues to climb.

While State and Local representatives are trying hard to receive adequate FEMA and other funds to support individuals with tremendous losses in the North East Kingdom of Caledonia County, Patricia and many others are devastated by the magnitude of damage. Obviously the expenses would be astronomical for anyone to manage, but as a retiree living on a fixed income it is impossible for her to manage this on her own.

If you are in a position to contribute funds to help Patricia rebuild her home, reestablish her ability to share her home and earn income, and attempt to get her life back on track, your generosity will be very much appreciated!

Patricia has been endlessly generous to her friends and her community and now it is our turn to help her. She is an active member of the St. Johnsbury community; she participated in a store front uplift program (fondly referred to as the “Window Warriors”) aimed at developing business interest in St. Johnsbury; volunteered as a Docent at St. Johnbury’s Athenaeum; and has been leading Golden Ball TaiChi classes weekly for the NEK Council on Aging for more than 17 years.

Please help us help Patricia and again thank you in advance for your generosity!