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Red Cross response to May floods in New Hampshire
Allen Crabtree, Special to RedCross.org
Tuesday, May 30, 2006 — GOFFSTOWN, N.H. – April showers may bring May flowers, but, unfortunately for the residents of Goffstown, N.H., May showers have brought flooding to the New England region of the United States.
This Mother’s Day may well be remembered by many people in New Hampshire as the year the rains wouldn’t stop. Kenneth Toppin of the United State Geological Survey (USGS) called the floods that hit New Hampshire over Mothers’ Day weekend a 100-year flood, with the highest-ever floods recorded at 12 rivers in central and southern New Hampshire. For example, the peak flow in the Piscataquog River in Goffstown, a suburb of Manchester, was measured at 10,100 cubic feet per second (cfs) on May 14. The normal flow for this date is 426 cfs.
This translates to the worst flooding since 1938 with the high waters forcing hundreds of families from their homes. Many were sheltered by the American Red Cross and have received aid—including financial assistance, food, cleanup kits and other emergency support—as they began returning to their homes.
American Red Cross volunteers Richard Proulx (center) and John Moore (right) distribute heater meals to residents in Goffstown, N.H., including Tom Jessmer (left), May 19, 2006.
(Photo credit: Allen Crabtree/American Red Cross)
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As soon as the flood waters from the Piscataquog River subsided, Red Cross volunteers John Moore and Richard Proulx began daily trips with a Red Cross emergency response vehicle (ERV) through the flood-ravaged neighborhoods of Goffstown. The team was based out of the nearby Greater Manchester Chapter of the Red Cross, where a national Disaster Response Operation was established for the flooding in New Hampshire.
“Homes here were hard hit by the flooding,” said Moore. “Some trips we deliver meals and water, and on others we pass out cleanup kits and supplies.”
One of the families that they visited every day was the Andre Street home of Tom Jessmer and Pam Garrity.
“On June 1, 2006, we will have lived here 7 years,” said Jessmer. “We’ve never had any flooding before—not even a few inches. But this time, the water completely filled our basement and rose half-way up the walls in the first floor of our home. It was terrible!”
They were keeping up with the water coming in with four sump pumps until they lost power at about 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 14, Mother’s Day. The water rose rapidly, and they were soon forced to evacuate to a nearby motel. At 2:30 a.m., they were awakened by a policeman pounding on their motel door and telling them to evacuate. The motel was flooding.
“The rain was still coming down hard. We looked out the window and could see the water covering the parking lot. Where it had been full of cars when we checked in, now there were only two cars left,” said Jessmer. “I slipped on my boots and grabbed the car keys and ran down to bring the car around. The water was over my boots, and when I got to the car, I discovered that I had the wrong set of keys.”
“By the time he got things straightened out and was finally able to bring the car around to the front of the motel,” Garrity continued, “I was a mess! I know it sounds silly, but that little separation was almost too much to bear.”
Tom Jessmer and Pam Garrity were forced to evacuate their Goffstown, N.H., home when the Piscataquog River flooded.
(Photo credit: Allen Crabtree/American Red Cross)
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They have flood insurance and began “mudding out” their home as soon as they were allowed to return to it. They spread the salvageable contents of their home on their front lawn to dry out.
“We can our own vegetables and make our own candles,” he said looking at a pile of mason jars on the front lawn. “But I don’t think I can use these again, no matter how well I wash them.”
For the safety of the people living in the flooded neighborhoods the Goffstown Police Department set up checkpoints and imposed a dusk to dawn curfew.
“We have done this to allow the residents a chance to work on their homes while discouraging the casual visitors who don’t have any business in the neighborhoods,” said Police Sergeant Pierre Pouliot. “During the night, we have regular patrols through the area. People have their whole houses open to dry and no doors are locked, so we just want to give them a sense of security until they get back on their feet.”
One thing that residents of the “Granite State” do remarkably well is help each other in times of crisis. It is a typical New Hampshire spirit, and this was certainly true in Jessmer’s neighborhood. Jessmer left a rowboat at the end of their street when they evacuated, complete with oars and lifejackets, for their neighbors to use to go back and forth to their homes. Jessmer’s boat got a lot of use and was returned each time it was used.
Granite Staters also have been very appreciative of the help that they have received from the Red Cross during these trying times. At a community forum held at the Goffstown High School a week after the flooding, the crowd gave the Red Cross an ovation, and notes of thanks have been received via email at the local chapters.
“I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of your volunteers, helpers, etc. We were very fortunate to have you in the area working day and night to help us with our tragedy,” wrote flood victim Jessica Skorupski in an e-mail to Diane Becker, Executive Director of the Greater Manchester Chapter of the American Red Cross. “We were flooded and lost a lot of stuff in our home. The people at the Red Cross were very helpful and understanding in this very stressful time. I again appreciate all the help we are receiving and would like to give a big thank you!!!”
Allen Crabtree is a volunteer from the Southern Maine Chapter of the American Red Cross and lives in Sebago, Maine where he is a writer, antiquarian book dealer, blueberry farmer, town Selectman, volunteer fire fighter and ambulance driver.
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the Midwest ice storms, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
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