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Vermont flooding destroys veteran's family photos, grandfather's World War II uniform

Despite the months of work ahead, Cloutier is still seeing the positives. He says his daughter's Pokémon collection was saved. "That was the best thing about the whole situation," he said. "You got to find light in everything."

By Katie Byrne , Emilee Speck Source FOX Weather

'It's all gone': Vermont veteran describes devastating flood damage to family home

FOX Weather journalist Katie Byrne speaks to Vermont veteran Nate Cloutier whose home was badly damaged in the flooding. The water got so high it went above his fence line and eventually into his home. Cloutier said he and his family will need to start over.

LAMOILLE COUNTY, Vt. – There is nothing left to salvage from the first floor of Nate Cloutier's home in Vermont after torrential rains caused rivers and streams to swell to historic flood levels.

Cloutier was camping with his family when the rain started. He said he stopped by his home to see how it was going, and the water wasn't yet 5 feet up the riverbank.

At the time, the military veteran said he wasn't too concerned because he wasn't in a floodplain, and even the flash flooding caused by Hurricane Irene in 2019 only came up into his yard. The floods in Vermont this week caused catastrophic damage that hasn't been seen since 1927.

Around 4 p.m. Tuesday, Cloutier got a call from his son telling him, "We've got beachfront property." At that point, the water was up to his last stair leading into his kitchen.

BEFORE-AND-AFTER PHOTOS ABOVE VERMONT SHOW SCOPE OF FLOODING DEVASTATION

"Three hours later, it was coming into the house," Cloutier said.

The family worked to save what they could as the water kept coming, but ultimately, the most important things lost were personal belongings that couldn't be replaced, including baby pictures of his children and family photos.

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Vermont’s capital, Montpelier, was underwater Tuesday morning. Storm chaser Brandon Clement with Live Storms Media captured daylight video answering questions for anyone wondering the scale of the flooding in the historic downtown district. The area is closed until at least noon EDT. (Brandon Clement / LSM)

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Flooding damage at Nate Cloutier's home in Lamoille County, Vermont on July 12, 2023. (Image: FOX Weather) ( )

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MONTPELIER, VT - JULY, 11: Members of the Colchester Technical Rescue team respond to a call to evacuate two adults and an infant from their downtown Montpelier, Vermont apartment on Tuesday afternoon, July 11, 2023. Vermont has been under a State of Emergency since Sunday evening as heavy rains continued through Tuesday morning causing flooding across the state. (John Tully for The Washington Post)

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MONTPELIER, VT - JULY, 11: Flooding in downtown Montpelier, Vermont on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. Vermont has been under a State of Emergency since Sunday evening as heavy rains continued through Tuesday morning causing flooding across the state. ( John Tully for The Washington Post)

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Flooding in downtown Montpelier, Vermont on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. (John Tully for The Washington Post)

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MONTPELIER, VERMONT - JULY 11: Main Street is flooded on July 11, 2023 in Montpelier, Vermont. Up to eight inches of rain fell over 48 hours and residents were warned that Wrightsville Dam could reach capacity, forcing it to release more water that could impact the downtown area. (Photo by Kylie Cooper/Getty Images)

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The day after the catastrophic flood in Ludlow, Vermont, is seen in drone video captured by Pat Moore on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. (Pat Moore / Facebook)

"My wife's mother passed away when she was born, and she has like three pictures. And those are gone," Cloutier said. "It's things like that … this is the first time my kids ever had to go through something like that."

Cloutier's items from his time in the military were destroyed, and his grandfather's World War II Navy uniform was also lost.

DRONE VIDEO SHOWS CATASTROPHIC FLOODING SUBMERGING DOWNTOWN MONTPELIER, VERMONT

The first floor of the home is unlivable, Cloutier said, so the whole family will live upstairs, including three dogs and eight cats.

"I'm not in a floodplain. So I didn't have flood insurance. I was told that I didn't need it," Cloutier said.

Despite the months of work ahead, Cloutier is still seeing the positives. He says his daughter's Pokémon collection was saved.

"That was the best thing about the whole situation," he said. "You got to find light in everything."

Flood damage is 'overwhelming' in Vermont

A war veteran says recovery from the record flooding in Vermont is going to take a long time to bounce back from.