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Born When the Water Rose

Build a Community Resilience Hub

This toolkit brings the lessons learned from Vermont's 2023-2024 floods to communities everywhere. Start planning your hub today.

Works even when the internet doesn't.

The Challenge

2023 and 2024 Floods Left Vermont Communities Scrambling

When the waters rose, government response was slow. Resources were scattered. People needed to organize supplies, volunteers, and information, but had no clear framework.

Neighbors became first responders by necessity, not by choice.

What We Built

Frontline Responders Created This Toolkit

Community organizers, mutual aid groups, and flood survivors documented what actually worked. The result: a free, tested framework any community can use to build resilience before disaster strikes.

We made this because we needed it when the waters rose.

Before, During, and After

Before

Map assets, build networks, prepare supplies, and train volunteers before disaster strikes.

During

Coordinate response, track needs, manage volunteers, and communicate with your community.

After

Track recovery progress, support rebuilding, and strengthen long-term community resilience.

Built With Grassroots Partners

In collaboration with frontline responders, community organizers, and mutual aid networks across Vermont:

Access Ecologies

Community Resilience Organizations (CROs)

Community Resilience for the Waterbury Area (CReW)

Cooperation Vermont

Lamoille Area Recovery Network (LeARN)

Land Access and Opportunity Board (LAOB)

Kingdom United Resilience and Recovery Effort (KURRVE)

Northeast Kingdom Organizing (NEKO)

Rose Core Collective

Rural Vermont

Works Offline

Works Without Internet After First Visit

When disaster strikes, internet often goes down first. This toolkit was built to work completely offline, so you'll have access to all resources when you need them most.

1

Visit With Internet

Load this site once with internet to automatically cache all 28+ pages

2

Go Offline

Disconnect from internet or enable airplane mode

3

Everything Works

All content, checklists, and tools work normally offline

Complete Privacy

Any information you enter stays private on your device and never gets sent anywhere. You can also download PDF versions if you prefer paper copies.

Need Help Getting Started?

Community Resilience Organizations (CROs) offers free consultations to help you assess your community's needs, train volunteers, and create a resilience plan tailored to your area.

Free Consultation

Get expert guidance on assessing vulnerabilities and building your hub

Volunteer Training

Workshops for community organizers and disaster response teams

Custom Setup

Help configuring the toolkit for your specific community needs

Fiscal Sponsorship

Support for organizations seeking funding for resilience initiatives

Ready to Build Resilience?

Join Vermont communities who are using this toolkit to prepare for disasters and strengthen their neighborhoods. Free, open-source, and works for communities of any size.