There are definite advantages to living in cities. Public transportation, shops and restaurants, hospitals and police forces. But Hamptonites have chosen our leisurely flow of life in our small rural community. This past year, with record breaking winter snow, a catastrophic tropical storm, and a freak October blizzard, we discovered that, even without any of the amenities of city life, Hampton as a community could reach deep into its reserves and survive.

The most compelling stories are of residents who had no titles or official capacity; their efforts were apolitical, need-based, and continuous until the crisis ended and life began to be normal once again. Neighbors helping neighbors is what we witnessed, and that is why it is with pride that The Hampton Gazette recognizes the caring citizens of our small hamlet as its collective Citizen of the Year.

The Snows of Winter

This past year brought us Halloween snow (not even bothering to disguise itself), Hurricane Irene, dumping buckets (and probably cats and dogs) on us, and lest we forget, historic winter snow. Barns collapsed, cattle died, families shoveled roofs, driveways, the road crew cleared roads round the clock, and neighbors brought necessities to those who were housebound.

Real catastrophe struck at WoodHill Farms where a holding barn imploded and collapsed just as the cows were preparing to start their routine of providing milk. The citizens of Hampton rushed to the rescue of those cows, volunteers using shovels and their hands, digging desperately to free the cows buried under the debris and the snow. People came with equipment, with flashlights as darkness fell, later with coffee, food, as the decision was made to get the cows milked on the premises instead of sending them to area farms. In the end, only thirteen cows lost their lives, and over 100 volunteers pitched in, neighbors who, in a time of need, drop their lives, identify a problem, work together to create a plan of action, and then begin in earnest to execute it. Says WoodHill Farm co-owner and Hampton First Selectman Al Cahill, “Many cows died and were injured that day, but the real story is the dozens that were saved because of the humane effort of my friends and neighbors.  Bill Meister and Pete Schaper, and everyone associated with Hampton Hill Farm, and the Hampton Fire Company were instrumental in clearing the carnage.  After toiling all afternoon and evening in single digit temperatures, we started milking at 10 p.m.. A human miracle!”  

Hurricane Irene

In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, we were duly impressed with our first respondents, the Hampton Fire Department, whose members rose to every challenge put to them. Chief Richard Schenk was recognized for his department’s preparedness and making itself ever accessible to the community and its every need. No flooded basement was ignored, no tree branch too large to be removed. The members of the department hauled generators door to door, well into the night and first thing again the next morning, to provide precious moments of relief to residents. Schenk acknowledged the efforts of all of his volunteers who spent long hours at the firehouse manning their post and then fanning out to provide whatever assistance was called upon for people and situations in need of attention. Heroes are not fictional characters from comic books, or people we might never have contact with in our lifetimes. Our heroes live and breathe beside us.

The firehouse also became “command central”. With nearly 100% of the town without power, Emergency Coordinator Ed Burchfield and First Selectman Kate Donnelly vacated Town Hall and set up camp at the firehouse, contacting higher authorities to seek answers to the questions on everyone’s minds, chief among them: where’s the juice?

The hurricane taught us how to live without power. No electricity meant no lights, no cooked meals, no refrigerator, no phone, no television, no computer, no contact with the outside world, no running water. In the days preceding the storm, the Boy Scouts’ motto would become our own mantra: “be prepared”. But just when our reserves started to run too low, food and water arrived at the new town garage, and volunteers, like the Bissons and Alice Pike, arrived to distribute it.

Members of the Ambulance Corps also tended to residents’ nutritional and medical needs, contacting patients prior to the hurricane to ascertain whether they intended to ride out the storm at home, or to join extended family. Personnel staffed the ambulance beginning on midnight Saturday and staying through till the storm was over. In the aftermath, daily well being checks continued with delivery of essentials as needed.

The elderly, our most vulnerable residents, report that neighbors also regularly checked in on them. Just knowing that they were not all alone went a long way. But as the reporter responsible for interviewing our seniors observed, “The resilience of the elders of this town is amazing. They just know what to do in preparation for survival living, just being able to handle adverse conditions, do without for periods of time, do what you can with what you have.”

The road crew, fully realizing the fury nature could unleash on the town, did its best to anticipate the flooding of roads and trees that could potentially block traffic or become a hazard to our electrical power lines, assessing probable threats to our town. They worked tirelessly before and after the disaster to make Hampton safe for all of its citizens. No job was too big or too small for them. They had, throughout, the “can do” attitude which made us all proud to live here in our neck of the woods.

The road crew was also not without volunteer assistance. Says Toby Vertefeuille, “Rob Rondeau, Rich Schenk, and Mike Chapel helped with beaver control to prevent road flooding, John Trowbridge used his log truck to move trees off the road after the storm, and Lynn Burdick and her family can always be counted on to be out after a storm clearing roads of downed trees and brush”. A lot of residents, Toby said, helped with firewood removal also.

Of all the hurricane lists -- roads closed, trees felled, power outages -- none were as inexhaustible as those of neighborliness.

The Halloween Snow

The leaves were not only on the trees, they were green! The pumpkins were carved, the Community Center stage set for a Flock Theater presentation of MacBeth, the delights of Main Street were imminent. And then it snowed, and snowed, and snowed. This was a storm for the record, exacerbated by the tardy response of CL&P.

The Fire Department and Ambulance Corps did double duty. Filling in the gaps were the men and women on the street, Hampton residents, who cooked, cranked up their chain saws, and brought transportation to those who were stuck. Ordinary citizens with a daily list of relatives and friends to check on determined that they could help. One example of this action was John Gorman. As he made his rounds to family and friends, he saw the need of others and responded as best he could. His generator went in the back of his pick-up, moving from home to powerless home. His first question was about the status of food and water – things he could remedy. Other residents with generators joined him and many were helped through that long week.

As for Halloween? It was postponed in towns across Connecticut, but not in Hampton. Our Main Street residents cleared large piles of snow, turned on porch lights, set out Jack-o-Lanterns, and prepared themselves for the annual village trick-or-treating that has become a Hampton tradition, providing the goodies that our children eagerly await. Thanks to those who directed traffic on Main Street, our ghosts, goblins, witches, and even cows, safely met their Halloween goal: plenty of spookiness and bellies full of candy.

The Loss of Legends

We mourned the passing of Warren Stone in 2010, and acknowledged his generosity on the front page of the September issue of the Gazette that year and previously, as Citizen of the Year, a generosity we were reminded of this year when Warren’s estate was settled, his will became public, and we learned that his heirs were our own organizations. The Fletcher Memorial Library, Windham County 4-H Foundation, Trailwood, the Congregational Church, the Antiquarian and Historical Society, the Connecticut Forest and Parks Association and Joshua’s Conservation and Historic Trust became the final beneficiaries of Warren’s good will.

And then there was the passing of Virgina Welch. In a way, Mother Nature in her own way took Virginia. This was a woman who lived for Hampton, its flora and fauna, and its people. Her concern as time went by, and in the end, was for her beloved dogs. Not to worry -- Max still lives in Hampton with Randy Thompson and Munson is at home with Glen and Kathi Newcombe.

A New Year

Through it all, there was a lot of talk about going forward. Emergency plans, shelters, generators. Already the wheels of volunteerism are at work here, too.

One suggestion: maybe every child should be taken on a weekend ‘camping trip’ in their own backyard with a gallon of water, a match, whatever they pack in a duffle and try out ‘the survival game’. Maybe the town should schedule a preparedness weekend as a trial run!

And there have been suggestions of providing more incentives for children to learn the value of community service, too.

As we forge through winter, we know there are volunteers making sure that residents are warm -- the Republican Town Committee will again hold its Annual Grinder Sale with proceeds providing fuel assistance for Hampton families. But did you know that postal carrier Renee Cuprak delivers not just mail, but wood to neighbors who need it?

We are secure in our emergency services; that they are the epitome of professionalism is the general consensus, but did you know that Paulie Tumel put a driveway in at his pond, at his own cost and on his own time and equipment, to install a hydrant there for the fire department to use?

We feel gratefully safe driving in adverse conditions due to the work of the highway department, but did you know that Harold Haraghey is always reporting things to the road crew that require attention or look suspicious? “He looks out for us, for our town,” we’re told.

Unsung heroes are all around us, and for those not mentioned here, you are known and appreciated. Thank you!

As we look forward to a year that is far less adventurous than the last, one that will not immobilize the entire town, state, or coast, we realize we have learned a lot of lessons from the last year’s turmoil, most importantly, that we can count on our own resources and one another to survive whatever assails us.

Diane Meade, Jean Romano, and Brian Tracy contributed to this article.

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