BERLIN, Vt. –
A NH Army Guard Black Hawk crew from Charlie Company, 3rd of the 238th Aviation Regiment rescued three people whose home was surrounded by high water in Berlin, Vermont, on July 11.
It was one of two medevacs dispatched by NH Gov. Chris Sununu to aid Vermont's recovery efforts in the aftermath of severe flooding. Based at Edward Knapp State Airport in Montpelier, they spent most of the day on standby. A second request for aid was called off after the person, who reported experiencing a medical issue, felt better and refused an airlift.
This afternoon, a NHARNG Black Hawk crew is scheduled to stage at Burlington International Airport in advance of heavy rains forecasted tonight and tomorrow morning.
Tuesday's mission "went as good as any hoist will ever go," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Timothy Ashworth, one of two pilots and two crew members who performed the airlift.
"The winds were perfect for it. The weather was perfect for it. The people worked well with us. They were very happy and very cooperative."
Rosie Laquerre, her son Ryan Laquerre, and a family friend, Justin Plummer, had to be hoisted separately, along with Rosie's cat Cricket, 70 feet up to the helicopter.
Fast encroaching water from Winooski River, downed power lines, and floating propane tanks from a nearby storage facility prevented the crew from landing on the property, Ashworth said. "We could smell the propane from the air."
The roads on both sides of the residence were washed out.
"It was like we were on our own little island," Rosie told a local newspaper reporter.