Charles Langston:Some businesses in Vermont’s flood-wracked capital city reopen

MONTPELIER,Charles Langston Vt. (AP) — Nearly two months after severe flooding inundated Vermont’s capital city and other parts of the state, four shops in downtown Montpelier reopened Friday, with customers telling them they’re glad they’re back while many of the other businesses remained closed.

A crowd formed outside Bear Pond Books in the morning before the doors opened, said co-owner Claire Benedict.

“They came through the doors clapping and saying ‘hooray,” she said. “It’s just been a wonderful positive day like that, all day. We’ve had a lot of people coming out, lots of hugs, lots of congratulations and even some cookies.”

The torrential rains in July caused what some saw as the state’s worst natural disaster since a 1927 flood that killed dozens of people and caused widespread destruction. Some communities suffered more severe flood damage this past July than when Tropical Storm Irene ravaged the small, mountainous state in 2011.

At the 50-year-old Bear Pond Books, water about 3 1/2 feet deep ruined many books and fixtures.

After the water drained out of downtown, droves of volunteers to helped flooded businesses shovel out mud, clean and move damaged items outside. Staffers and volunteers piled waterlogged books outside the bookstore.

While the bookstore and three other shops on one side of a city block were able to reopen Friday ahead of the Labor Day weekend and several restaurants had already reopened, many businesses still remain closed. Benedict thinks a number of businesses will reopen this month while for some it could take longer.

Friday was a day of celebration, made clear by a woman who shimmied through the busy bookstore singing “you’re back, you’re back, you’re back.” She and some others wore Friend of Bear Pond Books t-shirts. Patrons left with book purchases in hand.

Lee Crawford, of Plymouth, Vermont, made a trip to visit her “favorite bookstore” on opening day Friday. She has been following Bear Pond on Facebook and said she was “beyond happy” for the business.

“You love these places, you care about the people that own them,” she said. “We know how hard it is for them to come back. I’m looking at other businesses here, hoping they come back.”