A flooded street with a yellow sign that reads "water over road."

Vermont towns rethink flood response as storms intensify

After back-to-back years of severe flooding, Vermont officials and residents are restoring floodplains, strengthening infrastructure and buying out at-risk homes to adapt to a future of more extreme rainfall.

Jonathan Mingle reports for Yale Environment 360.


In short:

  • Vermont has seen a sharp rise in extreme precipitation, with flood-prone towns suffering repeated destruction. Officials predict such events will increase by 52% across the Northeast by 2100.
  • The state has launched initiatives like the Flood Safety Act and RIVER program to curb development in flood zones, upgrade infrastructure and secure federal funding for buyouts and flood mitigation.
  • Many communities face tough choices, as effective flood prevention means removing homes and infrastructure from vulnerable areas, worsening an already tight housing market.

Key quote:

“We can be victims and lay down on the ground and cry about it. Or we can think about what can we do. And the obvious answer in Vermont is to get out of the way of the river.”

— Arion Thiboumery, Plainfield homeowner and FEMA buyout coordinator

Why this matters:

Vermont’s flood challenges mirror those faced by many regions as climate change drives heavier rainfall and rising disaster costs. Adapting will require major infrastructure changes, community planning and difficult decisions about where people can safely live.

Related:

Shell’s petrochemical plant in Pennsylvania still hasn’t spurred economic development: Report
Shell's petrochemical complex in southwestern Pennsylvania. (Credit: Nate Smallwood for Environmental Health News and Sierra Magazine)

Shell’s petrochemical plant in Pennsylvania still hasn’t spurred economic development: Report

The county that’s home to the plant continues to fall behind the rest of the state and the nation in key measures of economic activity, according to a new analysis.

PITTSBURGH — After more than two years in operation, Shell’s petrochemical plant in Pennsylvania has failed to deliver economic growth to the surrounding region, according to a new report.

Keep reading...Show less
Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.
Factory with smoke emitting from a smokestack with piles of snowy dirt in foreground.

Big polluters miss key UN deadline on climate plans

Most major emitters, including China and the European Union, failed to submit updated emissions reduction plans to the United Nations, raising concerns about the global effort to combat climate change.

Chico Harlan reports for The Washington Post.

Keep reading...Show less
NOAA research ship at dock.

NOAA ordered to flag climate-related grants, raising fears of cuts

The Commerce Department has directed the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to review and identify climate-related grants, prompting concerns that funding for climate research and mitigation efforts could be at risk.

Christopher Flavelle, Austyn Gaffney and Raymond Zhong report for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
Offshore wind farm under blue evening sky.

Blue states fight to keep clean energy projects alive under Trump

President Donald Trump has halted offshore wind leasing, frozen funding for renewable energy and created uncertainty around clean energy tax credits, leaving states scrambling to salvage their climate goals.

Alex Brown reports for Stateline.

Keep reading...Show less
Image of a maple leaf with a stamp with the words United States Tariff.

Proposed oil tariff could raise gas prices in the Midwest

A potential 10% tariff on Canadian oil, proposed by President Trump, could force U.S. refineries to either pay more for crude or cut production, leading to higher fuel prices.

Rebecca F. Elliott reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
Cars on a highway with white smoke emitting from smokestacks in the background.

Turkey surpasses Germany as Europe's biggest fossil fuel polluter

Turkey’s reliance on coal-fired power pushed its carbon emissions past Germany’s in 2024, reflecting a broader shift of Europe’s industrial pollution from its traditional hubs to regions with looser environmental regulations.

Gavin Maguire reports for Reuters.

Keep reading...Show less
person wearing a hard hat and holding air quality monitoring equipment in HVAC room.

Environmental group left in limbo after federal grant suddenly vanishes

A South Carolina environmental nonprofit lost access to a $365,000 federal grant after the Trump administration froze Inflation Reduction Act funds, leaving critical air monitoring projects in marginalized communities at risk.

Lisa Sorg reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

People  sitting in an outdoors table working on a big sign.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

joe biden

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.

Agents of Change in Environmental Justice logo

LISTEN: Reflections on the first five years of the Agents of Change program

The leadership team talks about what they’ve learned — and what lies ahead.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.