Flooding continues to be a major issue on Lake Champlain and is directly impacting the area where my family’s property is. The local newspaper, the Press-Republican, published an article on local flooding that explains how serious the problem is and the impact on the local economy.
The towns of Willsboro and Essex are both very dependent on tourism and vacationing summer residents. The impact of flooding extends not only to the physical damage and the cost of repairs, but also to the loss of business as tourists and summer residents either stay away or are coping with their own damaged property.
My immediate concern is for Flat Rock Camp. With the water as high as it is, wave action could cause significant damage to the sections of the camp that are closest to the lake, especially the porch, the dining room and the kitchen wing. I’m waiting for an update from family members who live there year-round and will report on the situation as soon as I know it.
Update: According to my sources, the property did take some damage, but none of it is catastrophic. The porch at Flat Rock got damaged with wave action and there are some issues with piping underneath sections of the camp, but thankfully the water did not get inside to any significant degree. There’s a lot of bank erosion and downed trees along the shore, some of which impact areas like the Bouquet Farm Cottage and the old stone walls along the shore by Lea and Ian’s house. The water is still very high, well above flood stage, so we’re not out of the woods yet, but it seems the worst is over.
