Tropical Storm Irene is phrase we have spoken on this program an uncountable number of times in the three years since devastating floods tore apart a third of the state on this date in 2011. Since then, the name “Irene� has become shorthand for huge issues like disaster recovery, flood plain management, climate change and personal loss.
As we mark the third anniversary of the storm, we invited Sue Minter to join us again. Her day job is deputy transportation secretary, but in the aftermath of the storm she was named chief recovery officer, and was consistent voice of information and planning as communities reacted and then recovered from Irene. She spoke with us about Vermont's efforts to increase resiliency in preparation for future events.