On August 28, 2011 Hurricane Irene, now diminished to a tropical storm, arrived in Vermont. Her once mighty winds were now little more than a stiff breeze and yet the storm drenched the state with over eight inches of rain, overwhelming mountain streams and creating ribbons of destruction that swept away homes, bridges, and roads. While damages were statewide, the region hardest hit was the watershed of the White River where entire communities were cut off from the rest of the world. How these communities responded is a story of courage and cooperation, revealing a side of the human condition that isn't seen often on the evening news. This is the story of Irene--the before, during, and after--as it appeared originally on the pages of one of the nation's great weekly newspapers, The Herald of Randolph.